Pokémon: Series Sky & Land
by Alex0614
Summary: After his time in Alola, Ash decides to go to the Aotea Region. The journey of Ash, his partner, Pikachu, Serena and their friends is about to begin! The original adventure is about to unfold! Have any questions? Ask me!
1. A New Adventure Awaits!

_Hello! This is my first fiction that I am writing and I really hope that you guys would really enjoy it._

 _We will now set off into the story at Pallet Town. Please Enjoy!_

* * *

"Pikapi-" An electric mouse called a boy softly. The boy, wouldn't budge. He was fast asleep as if he was yawned upon. The Pikachu then used his tail to slap him. "Pikapi-" The cry was noticeably louder now.

"…Just ten more minutes…" The boy moaned.

Despite all of its effort, the boy, his trainer, was sleeping like a Snorlax. After a few more shakes and slaps, the electric type unleashed its Thunderbolt "Piiika-Chuuuuuuuu!"

"Aaaaaaaargh" As the boy got a rude awakening from his partner, he jolted in shock and fell out of his bed head first. Then, he sat up straight and began to rub his head. He smelled crispy like fried chicken.

"Haha, good morning, Pikachu." He murmured.

"Pika-Chu!" It greeted cheerfully.

"Ash! Breakfast!"

"Coming mum!" he replied. "Let's go down and eat, Pikachu."

"Pika!" The electric mouse jumped on Ash's shoulder. Ash dashed down the hallway. The only thing that he had forgotten was that there was a staircase at the end of it. Having not stopped on time, they tumbled down the staircase.

"Are you alright?" His mother called nervously. Ash was lying face down and Pikachu on top of his trainer in very much the same posture. Then, Pikachu jumped off and Ash also stood up.

"Yeah, I forgot that the staircase was rather close to the door." Ash muttered.

* * *

"Man, that was some nice breakfast." Ash said pleasantly. "Let's go outside, Pikachu. We'll walk around the town and train in a field nearby."

"Oh, Ash, professor Oak wanted to see you." His mother brought out a pair of black trousers and a white striped blue shirt. "You should go there first. Wear this."

"All right, I'll go there first." He responded with an affirming nod. "These clothes looks just like one I wore in Kalos."

"Well, it is the exact same one." She replied. "All of the other ones need some fixing. You'd better get going, dear."

"Okay, see you soon, mum!" Ash changed his clothes and dashed out the door with Pikachu running ahead of him. "Wait! I'll race you there, Pikachu. Wait for me at the garden."

After a bit of stretch, he raced towards the Pokemon Professor's lab with Pikachu. It wasn't long until they reached the door.

"Pikachu, it is unfair to use quick attack!" Ash complained. He was panting very hard.

"Pipipipipipi" Pikachu giggled in joy. Then, after allowing himself to catch his breath, Ash opened the door.

"Hello, professor!" He called. Professor Oak emerged with a package. He placed the package on a desk nearby.

"Oh, Ash. It is very nice to see you again." Professor replied with a smile. "Right, as you may know, I have a new place of interest for you."

"Okay, what is it?"

"There is a region called Aotea. I thought you may be interested in that region."

"Aotea Region?" He asked.

"Yes. Aotea Region. It consists of two islands: Te Ika Island and Pounamu Island. It is a great place to get some more experience. It's got many Pokémons that you have never seen before as well as familiar ones."

"Wow, I really want to go there."

"Good! You can get going now." He pulled an envelope from his pocket. "Here is a flight ticket for you. You'll have to transfer at Kalos."

"Wait a minute, professor. I need to tell mum…"

"No worries, I have already told Delia about it. She should be packing your bag by now." The professor turned around and picked up a parcel. "Also, I would like to ask you a favour. I needed someone to deliver this parcel to Professor Titoki in Aotea. Looks like you might be able to do it along the way."

"Sure I will! I'll go now. I will call you from Professor Titoki's lab!" Ash received the package and began to dash to the door.

"You are not going to take any more Pokemon from here?"

"No, I want to meet many Pokemons from Aotea! I'll call you later!" Ash exclaimed with excitement. He ran outside and kept running towards his house.

"Take care, ash!" Professor Oak waved to him until Ash was out of his view.

* * *

A Sylveon wrapped its ribbon-like feelers around its sleeping trainer's shoulder and shook her gently. A while later, the young girl woke up and rubbed her eyes until the Sylveon came into focus. She could also see a Braixen and Pancham standing by.

"Sylveon!" the intertwining Pokémon cried cheerfully.

"Good morning, guys." The girl greeted warmly, sitting up in bed and looking out the window. "Today's the day. We are going to Aotea like Ms. Palermo advised me."

A few days ago, Palermo, a former Kalos Queen and a famous producer, called her.

"I saw your Hoenn Grand Festival. Serena, you really have improved since the beginning." She commented.

"It was great that I got to the semi-finals, but I lost against May." She said disappointingly. While she had done so well in the Pokemon Contest, May had more experience than she did.

"Don't let yourself down. You are just as skilful as she is. However, you have to build up your battle skill. Who won the Festival? I missed that while watching the Kalos Master Class." Palermo asked.

"May won against Dawn. Also, I've met them in person. They are great to hang out with." They also happened to be Ash's friends. Serena was very uncomfortable to hear this fact at first, but then she understood that it wasn't that kind of friend. Then, they got along really well. While travelling around Hoenn together, they told stories of their travel to each other.

"That is very nice to hear. What are you going to do now?"

"I am not too sure. I think Aria told me that Aotea region has its own exciting performance format." Serena remembered.

"Yes, it does have its own exotic format. I was about to suggest Aotea too. It is a wonderful place to be at."

"Looks like I'll be going there! What kind of performance do they have?"

"You will have to find out for yourself." The producer produced a smile on her face.

That was two days ago and today was the day of her flight to Aotea. She was to take a flight to Kalos Lumios Airport. Then, she would have to transfer to another plane that goes to Aotea Cirrus Airport. She imagined the journey to the new region and all the Pokémons she could possibly meet. But then,

Growl…

Her stomach screamed for food. She hasn't eaten anything yet and it was almost lunchtime.

"Err… let's get breakfast, shall we?" She suggested, also silently cursing herself for oversleeping again.

* * *

At the airport, Serena arrived just in time for the check-in. After checking in, she heard a familiar voice, looking back she knew at once who it was.

"Dawn! How are you?" They high-fived. Dawn's partner, Piplup greeted her, too.

"I'm doing so well. Where are you going?" She asked.

"Aotea Region. I'm going to get more experience from there and become a better Performer. Where are you going, Dawn?"

"I'm going back to Sinnoh. I'm going to try the contest back home again. I'm going to win for sure!"

"Good luck, Dawn. I know that you can do it!"

"Good luck to you too, Serena." Then Dawn got close to Serena's ears and whispered. "Also, good luck with Ash "

That one sentence was enough to startle Serena. Her hidden feelings for him was discovered!

"How, how did you…" Serena blushed very hard. She tried her best to hide it. However, her cheeks were so red that it was going to blow soon. How did she know?

"Oh, it's rather easy to notice. Every time we brought him up, you always blush and seemed to be more energetic." Dawn and her Piplup both giggled. "Anyways, you will be great with him! I hope you two get along! Who knows if he is there now!" Then, it was time for her flight. Dawn trotted off with her Piplup, leaving Serena blushing with embarrassment.

"How did she notice…"

* * *

Please R&R, and I will know what to improve on and reflect on your voice! And if you have any question, I'll be happy to answer it! I'll see you guys in about a week!

* * *

-Disclaimer: I DO OWN Original Characters, Pokemons, Cities, Towns, Regions, etc.

Anything that already has a previous owners (eg: Ash, Pikachu, etc.) belongs to their respective owner/s.


	2. Transfer At Kalos!

_I've just noticed that there was quite a lot of mistakes on_ previous _chapter and to say the truth, I accidentally posted my draft one. However, it is my final draft, so the story stays the same. Just some grammar_ mistakes _though._

 _I've triple-checked now that this is not a draft. This is a final copy(I hope) Enjoy the story!_

* * *

In a large, dark room, there only was a desk and a leather chair. A man in a suit was sitting and a Persian was sitting on his lap.

"Sir, it's them." A secretary opened the door and a man with blue hair and a woman with long, magenta hair stepped in along. They were both wearing white clothes with a large R on chest. A talking Meowth also waked in.

"Giovanni, sir!" The trio addressed.

"I really appreciate your achievement in Alola. I praise you."

"Thank you, sir!"

"I have a mission for you." Then he pressed a button. A holographic picture of a region which consists of two major islands popped up. "There have been reports that there is an unknown organization operating in Aotea region."

"Aotea, sir?" the woman

"Yes. According to our informant there, the organisation could possibly hinder us from any future action in Aotea, Kalos and Unova. I want you to meet up with our informant and tell him to return. Then do what you have to do."

"We will fly there directly, then." Said James.

"Flying directly to there from Kanto is impossible." The secretary objected. "There is a massive storm all year round. The only route from the air is from Kalos and Unova. What I would suggest would be that you sail from here."

"We will follow your advice."

"Jessie, James and Meowth. I have a lot of faith in you. I expect a good result."

"Sir!" The trio answered with big enthusiasm.

* * *

Ash was sitting in the airplane. He had his table open and he was writing a letter. On his lap, his Pikachu was sleeping.

"Dear Serena," He muttered as he wrote, "It's been few weeks since I last wrote to you… I'm now going to Aotea Region… I hope you won the Hoenn contest…"

When he had finished, he sealed the letter inside a sky-blue envelope and tucked it into his pocket. Then, he looked out the window. He found the twilight very pretty.

* * *

A reading light shined upon Serena as she wrote something on a piece of paper. She kept writing and erasing multiple times, and thinking with her pen in her mouth.

When she was satisfied with what she'd got, she pulled up a pink paper from her bag. The, she copied every word from the other piece of paper, being very careful to not make any mistake. Then she let a Sylveon out of her Pokeball.

"Sylveon, please wipe your feelers on this paper and envelope." As the Pokemon wiped its feelers onto the paper, the paper carried the fairy dust of Sylveon.

Serena read the letter one last time.

"It's not good enough…" she sighed. "I'll write another one later. If I can't think of any other ideas, I'll use this one." She then sealed the envelope.

Serena sat back into her seat and looked out the window. She wondered if Ash was looking at the same twilight as she was looking at. Sylveon sat down in front of Serena, with its feelers wrapped around its trainer's arm.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are landing in a few minutes. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position and your seat belt is fastened. Thank you." The intercom boomed and the seat belt sign went on.

"Come here, Pikachu. You have to fasten the seat belt." Ash held out a seat belt. Pikachu jumped on Ash's lap and he fastened Pikachu's seatbelt and clipped it onto his own.

"Piiiika..." It let out a silent cry of amusement as the plane made its descent towards the runway.

"Planes are so cool. Right, buddy?" Ash asked and Pikachu replied by a nod. "We are now landing at Kalos… Look! That's the Lumiose Tower!"

As the airplane continued its descent, Ash recalled his adventure in Kalos with Serena, Clemont and his sister, Bonnie. After a while, he was interrupted with a loud thud and screech. The plane began to slow down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Kalos Lumiose Airport. Local time is 13:45 and the temperature is 25 degrees Celsius. For your safety, please remain in your seat until the seat belt sign is off. On behalf of Latias Air and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for flying with us today and I hope to fly with you again soon. Have a great day!" The intercom boomed again and in less than a few minutes, the airplane made a full stop and the sign went off.

"Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash walked out of his seat and went to the door. As the door opened, he dashed out and made the very same mistake that he made at the very spot a few whiles back. He ended up tumbling down the staircase again.

"Pi-ka-chu?" Pikachu asked his trainer. Ash stood up and told his worried partner that he was alright.

"Right, we need to get to our connection flight to Aotea. Let's go!" They jogged off into the building.

* * *

"Excuse me, we have landed a while ago." A flight attendant woke Serena up. "It's time that you deplane."

"Oh, I am so sorry, miss." Serena apologised after realising that she was the only passenger on board.

"You don't need to rush, dear. Take your time." The flight attendant assured her.

"Thank you. By the way, what time is it?" Serena asked as she packed up.

"It is about two o' clock."

"Oh, no! I have 20 minutes to get to another plane!" She gasped. Then she began to rush.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that they won't leave without you." She assured Serena as she was in panic.

"Thank you for waking me up!" Serena hurried out to the door. "It was nothing, dear. And watch out for…" There was a loud scream as Serena also forgot about the staircase, "the staircase…"

* * *

"Oh, man, we are late. We only have about 10 minutes left! We need to dash, Pikachu!" Ash and Pikachu began to run through the corridor. The plane for Aotea was on the opposite side of the airport.

The ran for a while and they finally saw the escalator which leads to the boarding gate.

Then, out of nowhere, a girl was in front of him.

* * *

"Oh, no. I am so late!" Serena looked at her watch. It showed the current time; 14:15. 'Why did I sleep at that last moment?' She thought. Time was ticking as she dashed through the corridor.

After a few minutes, she almost reached the escalator leading to the boarding gate.

Then, out of nowhere, a boy with a Pikachu was in front of her.

* * *

THUMP!

"Ack!"

"Eek!"

"Piiika!"

The boy and the girl, as well as the Pikachu, crashed into each other. The girl ended up on Pikachu and the boy on the girl.

"Piika-CHUUUUUUU!" Reflexively, a very uncomfortable Pikachu let its thunderbolt out. Then, they all separated.

"Ugh, this thunderbolt is very familiar…" Serena muttered. "Wait a minute, that means… Ash?!" She looked and saw her love. Right at the very place they parted.

"Ugh… Er.. Serena?! Is that you?" Ash asked. He noticed that this was the place where she had kissed him.

They were very surprised to see each other. Just as they were going to say one more word, the intercom interrupted them.

"This is the final boarding call for passengers Ash Ketchum and Serena Yvonne booked on flight A15 to Aotea Cirrus Airport. Please proceed to gate 3 immediately. The final checks are being completed and the captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes' time. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for Ash Ketchum and Serena Yvonne. Thank you." The intercom let out a chime.

"You are going to Aotea, too?" Ash exclaimed.

"Alright, save the talk for later. Ack! My foot!" Serena tried to stand up, but her right foot was swollen. "We need to get to our flight..."

"Here, I'll carry you." Ash wore his backpack on his chest and carried Serena on his back. She blushed as he carreid her.

Few minutes later, they reached the gate.

"You must be Ash Ketchum? Serena Yvonne?" A flight attendant checked their tickets.

"That's us. Sorry for being late." Serena answered.

"It's nothing, here, I'll take you to your seats. I'll also have a look at your foot." They walked inside the plane. Then, the attendant sealed the door behind them.

* * *

 _That's it for this week! Please R &R so that I would know how you think of it and improve it! If you have a question, please ask! Thanks for reading!_


	3. The Flight to Aotea!

_Please enjoy this new part of this story! Ash and his friends finally get to Aotea!_

 _Enjoy!_

* * *

"There, it should be good as new by the end of the flight." The flight attendant told Serena after she treated her foot. Then, she pulled down a chair and buckled herself in.

"Thank you very much for your help, miss."

"It was nothing. So, you guys travel together?" She asked.

"We used to, but we parted a while ago. We've only just met again." Ash replied as he was getting seat belts on Pikachu.

"With a bang, though." Serena giggled. They all laughed. Then, the flight attendant reached for a handset and pressed a button. Then, she pressed another button.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard flight A15 to Aotea Cirrus Airport. We are currently lining up for take-off and are expected to be in the air in a few minutes' time. We ask you to ensure that your seatbelts are fastened and all baggage is secure. We also ask that your seats and table trays are in the upright position for take-off. Please turn off all personal electronic devices during take-off. Thank you for choosing Latias Air. Enjoy your flight."

"Cabin crew, prepare for take-off" The captain alerted the crew. Less than a minute later, the airplane started to charge on the runway. Startled by rumbles and noise, Serena quickly held Ash's hand tightly. Then she felt herself slowly floating. Pikachu let out a cry of amusement again.

It was not after the seat belt light went off when Serena let go of his hand. Serena sighed in relief after they broke a flat level of cloud and cruised steadily.

"You seemed pretty nervous right there," Ash said calmly.

"I feel rather uncomfortable during take-off and landing." She explained. "By the way, why are you going to Aotea?"

"I'm going to travel around and meet new Pokemons and challenge the gyms and league. That's going to get me one step closer to becoming a Pokemon Master! How about you, Serena?"

"Me? Well, I'm planning on to perform there. Ms. Palermo told me that there is an exciting showcase in the region."

"I don't know much about performances, but I know about the leagues in Aotea." The flight attendant joined in. "Would you like to learn more?"

"Yes, miss. Please tell me more." Ash replied.

"Call me Angela." she started, "The Aotea has many talented trainers. So, there are two leagues; the North League and the South League. To enter any of these two leagues, you have to get five badges from its respective island."

"Trainers there must be very strong." said Serena.

"They are. However, I believe they would be no match for you. Ash, the runner-up of the Kalos League." Angela smiled and Serena let out a little giggle.

"You can't be sure about something unless you experience it first," Ash commented.

"That's true. So, anyways, once you get into top 32 of both leagues, then you can enter the Grand League."

"Both leagues?" Serena asked back.

"Yes, you must be at least top 32 for both of them. I don't know what happens after you win the Grand League, though; I have never gotten that far."

"How far did you go?"

"I was top 32 in the North and 64 in the South."

"Wow! You're good!" Ash complemented the attendant.

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu agreed with Ash's comment.

"Thanks for saying that. Anything more that you want me to explain to you?"

"Why aren't there any flights from Hoenn to Aotea?" Serena asked.

"I'll tell you later." the attendant answered with a grin. "I need to go serving meals to our pilots now."

* * *

After the in-flight meal, Serena was sound asleep. Her chestnut-blonde hair was on Ash's shoulder as she unknowingly leant against him. Pikachu was sleeping on Serena's lap and her hand was on him as if she had fallen asleep while patting him.

Ash remembered his letter and decided to give it to her himself. He reached his bag pocket and pulled out an envelope. He smelled the elegant fragrance of fairy dust.

 _Whose letter is it from? I haven't noticed it before_ , Ash opened it with curiosity. Then, he began to read the letter.

 _Dear Ash,_

 _Hey! It's been a while since I last wrote to you. Lots and lots of things were happening around me._

 _First! I need to tell you about my Grand Festival! I ended up as quarter-finalist May won against me and then Dawn. They were really good! I really loved May's performance with her Beautifly._

 _I met Dawn at the airport. I don't know why, but I was startled that she told me that she noticed that I like you. I really don't know why I was startled and nurveous. After all, I did tell you that you are my goal and it is okay for everyone else to know about it…_

 _Well, I need to tell you something. I am not going back to Kalos yet._

 _I am going to a region called Aotea! In fact, I am on my way there! Ms. Palermo told me that there is an exciting performance there. We are going to make sure that we do our best as we always have! This will become one more step for me to become the Kalos Queen!_

 _Also, I really want to see you again. I still remember the day we parted in Kalos and Alola like yesterday. After all, you are my goal! I'll get you, no matter what happens. (I must have mentioned this in every single letter by now ^_^)_

 _I'm sure you have graduated from the school and became a better Pokemon Trainer. That's one more step for you to become Pokemon Master!_

 _If you are in Kanto now, come to Aotea! I'm sure it'll be fun. If you are already at Aotea, let's meet up at someplace!_

 _From air with love,_

 _Serena_

When he had finished reading the letter, he placed the letter back into his bag, being careful to not wake up the sender. He didn't notice that the letter he wrote wasn't in his bag.

When Serena woke up, she was surprised to see themselves leaning on each other while sleeping. After drinking a glass of juice, she looked outside. The morning sun was rising gracefully and a calm ocean was below her. There was a lone ship sailing into the horizon.

* * *

Many feet below, a ship was stationary and people in navy blue uniform was carrying equipment out to the deck. Three people in lab coat were overseeing the operation. When they have reported that the machine was in place, they walked down to the deck.

Then, they connected the last cable and pulled the switch. The power instantly turned on. The machine was radiating a mysterious blend of red and green lights.

"Now, it is time that we display the overture of our show…" The shortest person in lab coat muttered. He had white frizzly hair and wearing the regular uniform inside of his lab coat.

"Too right, mate. This is only the beginning." The tall person next to him nodded.

"Let us break a leg." The fat of the three gave a low laugh.

The trio inserted their keys into the machine and turned it in a count of three.

"One, two, THREE!"

The machine whirred and the sky above them began to get dark as the clouds gathered. Soon, thunders and noise of gusts could be heard.

* * *

Angela frantically sat in her seat with a flashing tablet PC in her hand. She looked into her tablet and pressed a button on the phone next to her.

"Cabin crew, be advised. We have a T3 warning in 3 mikes. I repeat, T3 in 3 mikes."

All flight attendants hurried back to their seats and secured their snack trollies and themselves. Angela herself fastened her seat belt as well.

"What is happening, Angela?"

Angela didn't notice Serena's question and carried on working frantically.

"Attention please, we have detected a heavy turbulence in about a minute! Put away everything into your bag and fasten your seat belt! I repeat, fasten your seat belt and put everything away!"

What is going on? As Serena wondered, she secured her seat belt. Just as she was going to fasten Ash's, the airplane suddenly dipped down with a loud bang. Pikachu, still asleep, bounced into the air.

"Pii… Pi, piiika!?" Pikachu woke up in confusion and instantly fell on Serena's lap.

"Wh, what is happening? Ash! ASH! Wake up!" She shook Ash with one hand while holding Pikachu tightly in the other. The airplane rocked from side to side, top and bottom violently.

"Ugh… What is it, Serena?"

"Just look at your surroundings!"

"Huh?"

The plane suddenly dipped down again. The flight attendant was looking at her terminal with a calm, but serious face.

"Ash, fasten your seat belt! I'll hold on to Pikachu!" Serena exclaimed as she shook in fear. When she was just about to have a nervous breakdown, a warm hand grabbed her shoulder.

"It's going to be all right, Serena," Ash said calmly. "The crew here are not scared at all. That means they could handle it."

"But… but… Eek!" The airplane shook violently once more. Serena buried her face on top of Pikachu's head.

"It's going to be all right." Ash repeated his words to reassure Serena. However, he himself was also a bit nervous about this situation. All he could to was just to sit there or look out the window.

He did the latter and saw something. It might have been a Pokemon, but all he could see was a sky-blue and white silhouette.

"Serena, look!"

"I don't want to look!

"Just look out here, something is here."

Serena gave a slight glance out the window and saw the same thing as Ash did. She stared at it, forgetting about fears that she had moments ago. They were both speechless to see such a majestic figure.

The figure emitted a subtle, white light. After minutes, the airplane stabilised and the sky was clear like it had been before. At the same time, the silhouette disappeared.

"Cabin crew, T3 clear. Repeat, T3 clear." The captain alerted the crew by intercom.

"Pii-kaa-" Pikachu called Serena, who was tightly holding it, in discomfort. Serena noticed its cry and let him go.

"Phew, that was dangerous," Angela muttered while wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Thank god you are all right."

"Does this normally happen?" Ash asked.

"No, it shouldn't happen around here at all," Angela answered with a grim face. "Even if there were going to be one, we would get an earlier warning than this."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We have just experienced a heavy turbulence. If you or the passenger next to you is injured, please report to a flight attendant. Cabin crew, we now have all clear." The captain announced again. Then, the seat belt light went off.

"So, what do you mean by it shouldn't happen around here?"

"Oh, it is only possible to fly into Aotea from Kalos or Unova. If you try to enter this region from anywhere else, something as worse as this happens. It is a natural phenomenon. We believe that a legendary Pokemon is involved in this."

"A legendary Pokemon?"

"Yes, Rangi is its name. It has been said that it is the god of the sky. Since being a god, it is able to control the clouds, the wind and more."

"Then could it be…" Serena remembered the figure she saw.

"The silhouette that we saw…" Ash added.

"You saw something out there?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, we only saw its colour, though. It was sky-blue and white."

"It could only be Rangi or Latios. There aren't many Pokemon flying at this height."

"Right after we saw it, the sky began to get clear," Serena added.

"You guys may have just saw Rangi then." Angela smiled. "Rangi gave all of us a blessing. Modern technologies don't allow us to fly through a level 3 turbulence. Well, this was more than that. I don't want to alarm you, but it could have been enough to disintegrate the airplane." Ash and Serena both gasped in shock. "Don't go telling that around." Angela smiled.

"Why did this happen right here?" Ash asked.

"I don't know. Maybe our company might have some idea about it. It definitely wasn't natural or Rangi's doing. I just don't understand this."

* * *

We have a problem, sir!" A man in blue uniform shouted.

"The machine is still functioning, but it has no effect now!" The second man informed the trio in lab coats.

"Gerr… it must be Rangi." The tall man in lab coat gritted his teeth.

"Let's pull back now. We've done what we needed to do anyway." The fat man suggested to his colleagues.

"Too right, mate." The shortest person agreed.

* * *

At the airport, there was a loud commotion as the arrival flight from Kalos was delayed by an hour. However, all passengers were safe and sound. Serena and Ash were no exceptions. As they reached the arrival hall, they noticed people glancing at him.

"Why are they all staring at you?" Serena wondered.

"I don't really know…" Ash turned to Pikachu. "Do you have any idea, Pikachu?"

"Chu-" Pikachu replied negatively.

They made their way towards the door. When they were outside, they were greeted by a fresh breeze and dazzling sunshine.

"Hey, are you Ash from Pallet Town?" A woman asked. She had long, brown hair and wearing a shirt and jeans. She also wore a white lab coat over it.

"Yes, I'm Ash, and this is my buddy, Pikachu."

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"I'm S+erena. Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm Titoki. I am a Pokemon Professor in Aotea. I was contacted by Professor Oak that you would be arriving here with a package."

"Yes, I have it in my bag."

"Let me take both of you to my lab. You look tired from long flights." Then, the professor beckoned them to her car.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter! Please R &R as always. I'll come back with another chapter in about a week._


	4. Setting off for the Journey!

_After a rough flight, Ash, Pikachu and Serena landed in Aotea, the professor was waiting for them at the airport. Now, they are headed to the lab._

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe that actually happened." The professor was amazed at their story. "So, you actually saw Rangi?"

"I really don't know if it was Rangi."

"All we saw was just a silhouette," Serena added.

"No, the flight attendant is right. At that altitude, the only Pokemon that matches your description is Rangi." Tikoki explained her deduction. "Right, we are here."

The lab was on top of a cliff overlooking the sea on a field of green grass. It looked like a kind of observatory and an aeroplane hangar. It had a red arched roof with a tower with a white dome. The dome was opened for the telescope.

"What do you research here?" Ash asked the professor.

"I research how the environment impacts Pokemon." She said as she was turning the engine off. Then the trio started walking towards the lab. "Some people reported that Pokemon learns different moves depending on their surrounding environment."

"Wow! They actually do that?" Serena was very amused to hear it.

"Yes, we've had quite a few reported cases." The professor opened the door. "Right, come on in."

They went inside of the lab. It was clean but somehow looked empty too.

"The lab has been built just a week ago. So, I only have the essential equipment. Right now, I have to ask Professor Oak to perform some experiments that I can't do yet."

"Then this parcel would be the result, right?" Ash pulled out the parcel from his bag and handed it to the professor.

"Yes, it is. I'll take it now. Thank you for delivering it."

The professor took the parcel from Ash and placed it on a table.

"More equipment is on its way here. Hopefully, it will arrive by the day after. Maria is cooking food at the moment. I'll show you around the lab before she is ready with the food."

As they went out the back door, they were inside an aeroplane hangar. Inside, there was a small propeller aeroplane painted in red and white and a shelf full of parts and tools. There also was a crane and a big door leading out to the runway on the beach below.

"I use this aeroplane to get to various places in this region." She explained. "We actually have two aeroplanes. My assistant took one out to Pounamu Island in the south to get some samples. He should be back by tomorrow morning. Shall we go and see our Pokemon in the conservatory?"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Ash busted out with enthusiasm.

"Piikaaa!"

The professor took Ash, Serena and Pikachu to the conservatory. There were many Pokemons inside the glass dome. Ash and Serena sat down on the grass field.

"Wow, there are Pokemons that I have never seen before!" Serena exclaimed. An Eevee approached Serena and jumped on her lap.

"Vee…" Eevee gave a little whine as Serena cuddled her. It seemed to be enjoying it. Then, it jumped off to chase other Pokemons. Pikachu also followed them.

"I can recognise some of them," Ash said after glancing at them. Pikachu came back to them after playing tag with Pokemon.

"This region has a very diverse species of Pokemon." Titoki led them into a staircase. At the end of the staircase, there was a big room with a domed roof. "This is our astronomy tower. We have a dome for telescope and planetarium here."

"What is a planetarium?" Ash asked in curiosity.

"Planetarium is a special projector. It allows us to project stars onto the dome so that we may study stars and galaxies during the daytime." The professor explained. Then there was a sound of a buzzer and a woman was on the line.

"Everyone, the meal is ready. Professor, shall I upload the result to the server?"

"That would be wonderful, Maria. Right, let's go and eat. Maria is a good cook."

"Pii-pikachuu!" Pikachu cheered in joy.

* * *

After dinner, the professor took Ash and Serena their room for the night upstairs. The room was cosy with two bunk beds and a table. After taking a shower and changing into comfortable clothes, they went back downstairs and made themselves comfortable on a sofa. A news program was on the TV.

"Latias Air flight A15 from Kalos has been struck with an unexpected turbulence. The pilot said that it was not very dangerous, but very unnatural to happen at that location. An investigation regarding this incident is currently underway. For the next story…"

"Serena, I have something to ask you." Ash broke the silence.

"What is it?"

"We've travelled for a long time in Kalos and it was really fun." He started.

"Yes, it was." Serena smiled as she remembered the journey in Kalos. "It was very nice travelling with you and Clemont and Bonnie back then. What are you going to ask me?"

"Serena," Ash paused for a moment, "would you like to come with me again?" Serena was expecting this question since she met Ash at the airport. She didn't hesitate even for a moment.

"Yes! Let's go around this region together!" Serena accepted the offer with a smile. "I'm sure we are going to have fun like before!"

"Really? That's great!" Ash was very happy to hear this. "Let's go and sleep now. We've been flying for a long time. Also, we have a long day tomorrow."

"Okay, Ash." Serena turned to the professor who was working on her laptop. "We'll see you tomorrow morning, Professor," Serena said as she was going up the stairs.

"Have a good night's sleep, guys."

* * *

In the next morning, Serena woke up to see Ash's bed empty. Wondering where he went, she went downstairs after changing from her pyjamas.

"Good morning, Serena." The professor noticed Serena from her office. "Have you slept well?"

"Yes, thank you for asking," Serena answered with a little smile. "By the way, where is Ash?"

"He went for a run at the beach below with Pikachu. He should be back soon. Why don't you make yourself a cup of tea while waiting for him?" Titoki suggested.

"I will do that, thanks." Serena made her way into the kitchen. She boiled some water and made some tea with it. She looked out the window and saw Ash and Pikachu jogging into the parking lot.

"I'm back!"

"Pii-ka!"

"Looks like you had some fun, Ash," Serena said sarcastically.

"Nah, just thought we needed some exercise," Ash replied without knowing Serena's annoyance.

"You know, you could've woken me up and I could've run with you."

"Sorry, but you looked too comfortable. I couldn't dare wake you up." Ash replied with a nervous face.

Serena placed the mug on the table and grabbed another one from the cupboard. "All right, then. Tea is in the kettle if you want to have some."

"Thanks." Ash poured himself some tea. Then, they heard a noise of an aeroplane engine and a splash.

"Professor, there was a splash down at the beach just now," Serena informed the professor.

"I know; it is my assistance Jake. He's back from his assignment." She came out of her office and went to the hangar. Ash and Serena followed with their mug.

"Professor, the cable is hooked up!" A voice shouted from below the cliff.

"Okay! Pulling up now!" The professor shouted back.

"So, that's how they take off and land at the beach." Serena said, "I was wondering how they would do it." She then sipped some tea.

When the aeroplane was set down on the hangar floor, a man jumped out of it. He was wearing black shorts and a checked short-sleeved shirt. He had black hair with some blonde hint in it.

"Professor, I have brought samples that you wanted." He said as he was unloading. "Also, I was told that someone is coming to get his new Pokemon. Here are Pokedexes to last us for a while. They are going to send us the Pokemon by the transporter." He handed a blue box to the professor.

"Have you got groceries that I asked?"

Jake pulled another bag from the cargo hold. "Yes, of course."

"Ash, Serena, this is Jake. Jake, this is Ash and this is Serena." Titoki introduced Jake and the couple to each other.

"Nice to meet you, Ash, Serena. You guys look great!" Jake laughed.

"Err… thanks. It's nice to meet you too." Serena gave an awkward smile.

"Right, Maria has breakfast ready now. Let's go."

At the table, pancakes and salads were ready. A Pokemon food was ready for Pikachu. Ash and Pikachu started to dig into their breakfast.

"So, let's go now, shall we?" Ash suggested as he walked down the stairs. He had already finished packing everything up and changed his clothes.

"Wait, I need to pack up." Serena ran upstairs to their room. "I'll be quick!"

As Serena packed her bag up, she wondered where the letter she'd written a day before was. After checking everywhere for the letter, she found a letter in her pocket, but it was not hers. She put the sky-blue envelope into her bag and carried on packing.

Professor Titoki placed the blue box on the table and took three devices out of it. It was two-toned with red and grey. It did not have any display. It really was a rectangular stick with camera and buttons. It had a circular edge on one side. "Ash, Professor Oak called after you went to sleep. I told him that you arrived safely."

"Can I call him now?" Ash asked.

"Sure, I'll dial the number now."

"Ash! I'm ready!" Serena exclaimed as she was dashing down the stairs

"I'm calling Professor Oak right now; do you mind if I do that?"

"No, I don't. Actually, can I join in?"

"Sure, come here."

Serena sat next to ash on the sofa. The TV displayed a light blue dialling screen with a magenta circle rotating. Then, Professor Oak and Ash's mother was on screen.

"Hello, Mum! Professor!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika-pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu cried and waved.

"Hello, Ash! Have you had a nice flight?" Professor Oak asked.

"I kind of did. It was a bit rough at the end, though. Along the way, I bumped into this person." Ash pushed Serena in front of the camera.

"Serena! What a surprise! How are you?" Delia asked delightfully.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking." Serena smiled.

"All right, Ash. I hope everything you do turns out nicel… Aaaargh!" The professor screamed in pain and was fried by electricity. Behind the charred professor, a Rotom emerged.

"Have fun, guys!" Delia exclaimed and ended the call.

"So, it is as usual down there, right?" Serena said with a giggle.

"Looks like it is." Ash gave an awkward laugh, too.

"Guys, I have something for you." Professor Titoki called them to the table. Ash saw the machine which professor took out of the box. "This is the Pokedex. Ash, Serena, I'll give one to each of you. I also have some Pokeballs for you."

"Thanks, professor!"

"Thank you very much!"

"It's a new model," Jake commented. "I'll show you how to use it." He pulled up a Pokedex and held it with his left hand. Immediately, a hologram popped to the right-hand side. "There are two buttons and you can use this holotouch display with your right hand to use its functions. There is also clip, so you can clip this onto your belt."

Amazed by this gadget, Ash tried using it on Pikachu. It worked just like Jake showed him. He then clipped the Pokedex onto his left side. Serena did the same. Just as they were doing a final check with their bag, someone came into the lab.

"Hello! Is anyone in here?" It was a boy's voice. When Ash turned to the source of the voice, he saw a boy and a girl together. They both had tanned skin and ginger hair. He wore a green hoodie and black pants.

The girl looked similar to the boy as if they were a twin. She wore a short, black leggings and a white sleeveless shirt with a grey jacket tied to her waist.

"Professor is just coming" Jake answered them. "Is your name , by any chance?"

"Yes, that is my name, and I came here to get my first Pokemon!" the boy exclaimed.

"It really takes us back doesn't it?" Serena remembered as she saw the boy. "I still remember the day I got Fennekin."

"Yeah, it does. Right, buddy?

"Pika-chu!"

"Why don't you wait right there, Hahona?" Jake pointed at the sofa they were sitting on. "I'll go get the Professor."

"All right! Come here, Hahana!" He walked across the hall and the girl followed him.

"Hi-ya! Whoa…" The girl was stiff as she was frozen.

"Erm… Hi, any problems?" Serena asked them.

"Pika-pikachu!"

"Wow! A Pikachu!" The girl was overjoyed to see a Pikachu. She couldn't control her overwhelming happiness and sat next to him. "Is it yours? Can I hold him?" She asked Serena.

"Yes, he's my partner. I'm Ash from Pallet Town." Ash handed Pikachu over to the girl. "Here, you can hold him."

"And I'm Serena. Nice to meet…"

"CHUUUUUUU!" Before Serena could finish introducing herself, the girl was cuddling Pikachu a bit too hard. Pikachu, who felt very uncomfortable, ended up frying her with his electricity.

"Well, that was a shock…" She said after taking a moment to recover. "Oh, I should've introduced ourselves first. My name is Hahana and that guy standing there is Hahona." She pointed at the boy.

"Are you getting your first Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"I am, but she already has her partner. Let her out, Hahana." Hahona suggested.

"Okay." Hahana pulled out a Pokeball from her belt and tossed it lightly into the air. An Amaura came out of it.

"Your partner is an Amaura?" Ash asked.

"Yes. I found her near my hometown. I thought an Amaura existed only as a fossil. I don't know how she ended up there. She was exhausted when I found her, so I took care of her. Then, she wanted to be with me as a partner."

"Is it all right for her to be out here?" Serena asked cautiously. "We've met an Amaura before, and it ended up being in danger when it was outside the lab."

"Oh, she's all right," Hahona replied. "She's used to this temperature."

"However, when the weather is hotter, I keep her inside the Pokeball," Hahana added.

"Right, young man. Your Pokemon is here!" The professor said loudly as she walked into the room. "Hello, Hahana. Nice to see you here."

"Hello, professor." Hahana greeted the professor.

"Are you guys related to each other?" Titoki asked, "I mean, you two." She glanced at Hahona.

"No! No way! He's just a long-time friend. It's just a coincident that we do look similar." Hahona answered quickly.

"Well, with that aside, let's get you a starter Pokemon. You wanted a grass type, right?"

"Yes, a grass type Grabbit."

"Well then, here is your Pokeball." The professor handed Hahona a Pokeball. "Try letting him out!"

"All right! Come on out, Grabbit!" Hahona tossed the Pokeball in the air. Then the Pokeball opened and a Pokemon stood in front of Hahona.

"Grabi!" It exclaimed proudly.

"Wow, it's so cute!" Serena exclaimed and opened her Pokedex.

"Grabbit. A meadow Pokemon. It hides in trees and bushes and grabs anything that falls with its ears."

"Also, here are some Pokeballs to get you started. And, here is your Pokedex." The professor handed Hahona a Pokedex and Pokeballs.

"Thank you!" Hahona placed them in his bag.

"Please stay here for a moment. I'll tell you things you need to know as a Pokemon Trainer." Jake told Hahona. Then, he turned to Ash. "Ash. Where are you going to go now?"

"I don't know yet. Any ideas, Serena?"

"Well… not a lot of performance is on now. I think we'll start with Bora City Gym." She pushed her terminal to Ash.

"Okay! Let's go, Serena! Jake, professor, I'll see you again!" Ash stood up and secured his backpack behind his back. Serena did the same.

"Pi-Pika!" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's left shoulder.

"Whoa, you are going now?" Hahona asked.

"Yeah, I want to get my badges as soon as possible." Ash declared. "We'll see you again, Hahona."

"Thank you very much for letting us stay last night!" Serena thanked the professor. "Hahana, I really hope to see you again!"

"We'll be going to Bora City as well. We'll meet you there!" Hahana smiled

"Feel free to contact us whenever there is a problem." The professor led them to the door. Hahona and Hahana followed them to the car park.

"Bye! We'll see you again!"

"Take care!"

Ash, Serena and Pikachu dashed through the car park and continued dashing until they were out of professor's view.

* * *

 _Our hero now finally sets off for another adventure! Now, what other will await them in their adventures? Find out as the journey continues!_

 _Hope you enjoyed it! Please R &R as usual. Thanks for reading!_


	5. A Battle at the Beach!

Here is the Chapter Five of the story. I am terribly sorry that I was really late. First, please enjoy the story. My apologies are at the bottom.

* * *

A cruise ship was sailing smoothly towards the Aotea Region. From this distance, the region looked like two long white clouds.

On its aft deck, three people sat on the patio chair. All of them wore a hat and sunglasses. The short person, who was too short that he had to stand on the chair, placed a laptop on the centre of the table. The laptop beeped and a man was on screen.

"Hey, when is the transmission coming?" The woman complained. "It's almost lunchtime."

"It'll be coming in a minute, Jessie" The man answered carefully. "Be patient."

"Here it is!" the short man, who really sounded like a talking Meowth, exclaimed. The laptop displayed a long line of scrambled letters.

"What is this!?" Jessie exclaimed in anger. "Have I waited this long, just to see this gibberish!?"

"It is a code. Meowth! Decode it!" James quickly asked Meowth, who was already decoding it, to ease Jessie's frustration.

"Already on it." The talking Meowth stared at the code. After a while, he spoke up. "It says; Dugtrio, this is Persian. The line is not secure. Acquire a kit from box 2A. Get yourself a Pokemon and initiate plan C. The agent will reach out to you while he is able. More intel will be provided in need to know basis. Persian out." Meowth read out the decoded text. "Right, let's plan out what to do. Once we get to the Port of Bora, let's head to the box. And then…"

"Let's. Eat. First." Jessie barked into Meowth's words and dragged James and the Pokemon into the cafeteria.

* * *

After departing from Professor Titoki's lab, Ash, Serena and Pikachu are on Route 1, making their way to Bora City to get Ash's first gym badge of the Aotea Region.

* * *

"Wow! What a view!" Serena exclaimed. "It's amazing!" The route which they were walking along had a beach on one side and a meadow with some trees on the other. The two harmony of the either side of nature was a very magnificent view indeed.

"Me too. We've got sea on one side and a forest on the other…" Ash agreed.

"I have never seen such view!" Serena took a deep breath. "Aww. the air is so fresh!"

"Pii-kaa-" Pikachu also took a deep breath. He really seemed to enjoy the route and the scenery.

After a while, they spotted a Pokemon Centre. It was on a hill with grassy field and it faced a sandy beach. The field was filled with flowers and shrubs and the wooden building blended right into the view.

"Hey, Ash. Let's spend the night here." Serena suggested.

"Well, isn't it too early yet?" Ash, who wanted to get the gym badges as soon as possible, carefully objected the idea. "I mean, we do have a long way to go…"

"We are out of our supplies too." She snapped right before Ash could finish his objections. "Let's get in early today and hang out at the beach."

"All, right then. Let's go in." Ash gave in and followed Serena towards the Pokemon Centre.

The path towards the building was paved with fine dirt. The log cabin structure had a terrace facing the seafront and in it, were wooden tables and chairs which were lined with a thin mattress. The roof of the building extended down to the terrace to provide shade. On top of the roof was the iconic two-toned Poke Ball sign

Serena pulled opened the door and Ash followed her into their first Pokemon Centre. It was quite a small place but it had more than basic facilities. The window side had a long sofa against the wall and two coffee tables. In the inner side, Nurse Joy stood at her usual place behind the counter. Behind her, was a row of items waiting to be sold for any trainers who needed them.

"Good afternoon!" Nurse Joy, as usual, greeted them.

"Good afternoon, Nurse Joy," Serena smiled. They both walked up to the counter.

"What can I help you today?" She asked the two trainers.

"We'd like to stay here for the night," Serena replied, "we'd like a room for two people and a view of the sea."

"Sure, we do have a room like that. Both of you, please put your Pokedex on this panel." The nurse pointed at a panel right in front of Ash and Serena.

They did so, and after a few moments, there was a quiet chime.

"Your room is upstairs, second from the end. It is a room for two with the view of the sea just as you asked for. Your Pokedex will be the keys."

"Also, can you help me register for the Aotea League?" Ash added.

"I can register you for Te Ika League. Please, put the Pokedex on the same panel." The nurse typed on her console and pointed at the same panel.

"Ash, from Pallet Town, is now registered to enter the Aotea Te Ika League. Number of badges currently in your possession; zero. We wish you the best of luck." The familiar automated voice confirmed the registration. He clipped his Pokedex on his belt.

"Also, every registered trainer is eligible to receive an Aotea Region Badge Case." Nurse Joy added.

"Audino!" An Audino walked in with a case in its hand.

"Hey, an Audino!"

"Yes, here in the Aotea, My Pokemon Center assistant is Audino."

"Really? Thank you, Audino!" Ash received the case from Audino.

"Audino!" Audino smiled happily.

"You are all set for the Te Ika League. For Pounamu League, you have to register at the other island. Good luck and work hard and you'll reach your goal!" She encouraged Ash

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" Ash replied and gave a glance at Serena. Both of them smiled and giggled.

* * *

"All right, everyone, come on out!"

As Serena threw her Poke Ball in the air, all of her Pokemons appeared. Pikachu jumped off from Ash's shoulder and jumped into the sea and others, except for the fire type Braixen, followed it in.

Pikachu and the others seemed to be enjoying themselves. Their trainers placed their bags on the sand and their hat on top of them.

"Hey, can you tell me more about Lillie and her Vulpix?" Serena remembered from Ash's letter that Lillie, Ash's friend in Alola, couldn't even touch a Pokemon egg until a while ago. She was interested in how she was able to overcome the phobia. "How was she able to touch it after all?"

"We were…" He began the story. They walked along the shoreline while holding their hands held together. They were sharing stories about their adventures and occasionally splashing water at each other.

While everyone was busy enjoying their time, two Pokemons landed around the bags and started to stare at the hats left by Ash and Serena. They approached it slowly, carefully and quietly. Then, they tried to lift it and managed to get in on their head.

The Pokemons were white in their bottom and brownish grey on their top and was roughly a foot and half tall. Also, it had relatively long wings compared to its body.

"Hey, look at those two Pokemons." Serena noticed the two Pokemons on their way back from the walk. "They seem to be interested in our hats."

"You're right." Ash agreed. The Pokemons were still wearing the hats and jumping about. The slightly bigger Pokemon wore Ash's cap and the other one wore Serena's hat. "I wonder what that Pokemon is." Ash pulled up his Pokedex and pointed it at the bird Pokemons.

"Shealing; a Shearing Pokemon. It flies very close to water and shears the tips of waves while gliding across wave fronts. It can spit powerful seeds at a rate of 70 seeds per second for three seconds at a time."

"It's pretty big. Has it evolved?" Serena asked.

"Let me see…" Ash pressed some buttons on the display to see more information about them. While they were busy checking the data, the Shealings took off and flew over the couple.

"Hey, wait! That's ours!" Ash exclaimed as he chased them down the sandy beach.

"Pika?" Pikachu noticed the commotion and saw the Shealings with his trainer's hat. It dashed towards them in extreme speed.

"Give it back here!" Ash yelled.

"Pika! Pika-pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, too. The Pokemons stopped and hovered in mid-air.

"Shea-LING!" The Shealing which had Ash's cap flapped its wing hard. It created a cloud of sand and dust, which swept into Ash and Serena. When the cloud cleared up, the Shealings were gone.

"What was that? Where are they?" Serena asked.

"One of them used Sand Attack to get away." Ash sighed in disappointment. He was annoyed to have his cap taken away like that. However, he was somewhat attracted to that Shealing. It looked like a real fighter. "You know what? I really want to catch that Shealing now."

"Well… Don't we have to find them to catch one?" Serena pointed out the reality. "And we don't know where they went!"

"Hmm… that's a problem… How are we going to find them?"

* * *

The Team Rocket's three agents have disembarked from their ship. They quickly headed towards the far side of the wharf. They stopped at a normal-looking rubbish bin.

"Are you sure that this is Box 2A?" Jessie asked.

"Positive," Meowth confirmed. "Under this rubbish bin, there should be a box with some supplies." James pushed the steel box and saw a briefcase.

"So there it is!" James picked up the briefcase and unlocked it. He took a peek in it. "There are two Poke Balls and a computer chip?" He wondered.

"It must be the secure encryption module for our device," Meowth answered.

"Since we now have Poke Ball, let's catch our Pokemons for this region," Jessie suggested. The trio grinned slightly.

"Right!" The trio agreed.

* * *

"Oh, them?" Nurse Joy asked back. "Two Shealings, you said?"

"Yes, them," Ash confirmed as he filled out the order form for the items.

"Of course. Those mischievous guys come here all the time." She looked at the two as if she was searching for anything missing. "Did they take anything?"

"Our hats," Ash muttered and scratched his head.

"They are just curious. They always return anything that they've taken a night later." Ash passed the completed form to the nurse. The nurse began to pick the items and scanned it. The computer produced beeps as one item hovered over its scanner. "Okay… Anything else that you want to buy?"

"Er… I don't know. Serena? Did we get everything?"

"I think so… Wait, we need two more potions." She pointed at a bottle of potion. Nurse Joy went and picked two bottles of it. "So, do you know where we could find them?"

"They disappeared after using Sand Attack," Ash added as he was bagging the items. Nurse Joy looked very confused and said something after a while.

"If I remember right, Shealings don't learn sand attack." She muttered.

"They don't?!" Ash, remembering sand blasting in his face, asked back.

"Not that I know of… Maybe it learned that move while it was here. I remember Professor Titoki on television saying that some Pokemons learn different moves based on the environment around them." The nurse scanned the last two items. "All right, all of these should cost you 900 Poke Dollars."

"Here," Ash handed Nurse Joy the money, still wondering about the cloud of sand. Then, he grinned. He had an idea of how it escaped.

"Thank you for your purchase. And good luck with that Shealing!" The nurse encouraged him with a smile.

"Thanks, I'll definitely catch that Shealing." Ash firmly declared.

* * *

After dinner, Serena changed to her pyjamas and brushed her Pokemon, one after another. When she was done, she looked out the window. She noticed two flying figures. There were two Shealings, flying elegantly. It looked like as if they were dancing in the air. The one with Serena's hat was doing loop-a-loops and corkscrews and other fabulous moves.

"Hey, they're back," She called to her Pokemons, "look how gorgeous they are!" Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon all gathered around the window and admired the flying type. "Wow, I'd really like to perform with that Shealing. What do you guys think?"

"Pan, pancham!"

"Sylvy!"

"Braixen, brai!" They all agreed and continued to admire the little performance. Ash walked into the room and noticed Serena by the window. He noticed the Shealings and called his Pokemon. Eager to catch the Pokemon, he picked up a couple of Poke Balls and placed them into his pocket.

"Pikachu, let's go!" Ash dashed for the door. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. Serena quickly ran after him to prevent him from reckless actions that might scare the Shealings off.

"Wait!" Serena grabbed him by his shirt and stopped him just before he grabbed the doorknob. "Let's watch them from here for a minute. I really like the one with my hat."

"Come on, can't we go now?" Ash asked anxiously. "We can watch them from down there,"

"Quietly then," Serena demanded Ash, who still was filled with enthusiasm, to be careful to not to scare them away. They walked quietly towards the Shealings. After a few tense minutes, they were steps away from the resting flying types.

"Hey," Ash called. The Shealings jumped. "It's all right, I just want to ask you something." Ash sat down next to the Shealing with his cap. "I really loved how you escaped earlier. Using gust like that was an awesome idea!"

"Huh? It was Gust?" Serena asked in amusement. She had never thought a wild Pokemon could use its move like that. Ash turned and gave her a slight nod. Then, he turned back to the Shealing.

"Right, Shealing." Ash pulled out a Poke Ball from his pocket, increased its size and showed it to the Pokemon. "I want to travel in this region, win battles, with you. Would you like to come with me?" Shealing gave a good look at it and seemed to know what it meant. It dropped Ash's cap and flew into the air. Then it cried aggressively.

"Sheal, SHEA-LING!"

"So, you're not going to go down without a battle, huh?" Ash picked up the cap and wiped the sand out of it. "I'll accept that! Pikachu, I choose you!" Just as Pikachu got ready for the battle, the other Shealing blocked its partner. Then, it cried aggressively too, dropping Serena's hat in the process.

"SHEALING!"

"It looks like the other one wants to battle too," Serena stood next to Ash and suggested, "guys, how about a tag battle?"

"Sounds like a good idea. What do you guys think?" Ash asked the Shealings for their opinion. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Shealing!" They cried in the affirmative.

"Right! Braixen, come here! Let's battle!" Braixen, who was watching with Serena's other Pokemons, jogged quickly and took the stick out from its tail. Serena picked her hat up and wore it firmly.

"Sheal-ling! Ling!" Shealing flapped its wings hard onto the sand to create a cloud of sand, reducing visibility.

"Not this time, Pikachu, use Electro Ball on water!" Ash waved his arm towards the sea.

"Pika-pika-pika-CHU PI!" The blast from the Electro ball sprayed water all over the place and it had gotten rid of the sand cloud.

"Now, Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Let's go!"

"Braixen, you use Flamethrower!"

"Pika-CHUUUU!" Pikachu jumped high and let its electricity burst out to the Shealing.

"Braix-EN!" Braixen waved the stick and pointed it on the other Shealing. A beam of fire shot out towards it.

"Sheal-sheal-ling!" The other Shealing flew around the Flamethrower in a barrel roll and slammed Braixen with its wings. Pikachu's Thunderbolt was a direct hit on its mark. However, the Shealing recovered very quickly.

"Follow up with Iron Tail!"

"Chuuu-PIKA!" Pikachu's slashed its tail at the Shealing. However, the Shealing dodged it to the side.

"That Shealing's very good," Ash told himself. "Serena, is Braixen all right?"

Serena gave Braixen a glance. Braixen nodded back to assure its trainer. "Yes, she is all right!"

"Shea-ling-!" The two Shealings lined up with Pikachu and Braixen and began to fly towards them

"Looks like it's lining up for that Bullet Seed," Ash told Serena his guess. "Pikachu, Iron Tail! Prepare to deflect that!" Pikachu's tail glowed

The Shealings opened their beak. What came out was not Bullet Seed, but beams of bubbles out from its open beak.

"Pikachu! Dodge that!" Pikachu's tail turned shiny like a sheet of metal. It waved it in front of Braixen to deflect the rapid bullet.

"Pika!" Pikachu tried to avoid the attack. However, the bird Pokemon's Bubble Beam was too rapid to dodge. "Pika-pi!" Pikachu was hit by the rapid rounds of Bubble Beam and knocked back into Braixen, also knocking it back in force.

"Are you guys all right!?" Ash asked.

"Pii… Pika!"/"…Braixen!"

"How did they use Bubble beams? It's not like what the Pokedex said about them!" Serena remembered. "It said that it could shoot strong seeds at a rate of 70 seeds per second, not Bubbles!"

Ash thought for a while. Then, he remembered what Professor Tikoki was researching about. "Maybe this is what the Professor meant."

"Huh?"

"Maybe it learned to use Bubble Beam instead of Bullet Seed while it was here." He looked at the two Shealings. They were hovering, waiting for Ash and Pikachu's next move. "All right, Pikachu! Let's show them what you can do. Use Quick Attack!" Ash waved his hand forward. Pikachu began to dash with all its might.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped in zig-zag to gain speed. "Pi, pi, pi; PIKA!" In a blink, Pikachu was behind the Shealings. A second later, they felt the force of the attack.

"Liiing!" They were knocked back and stalled to the ground.

"Braixen, quick, use Flamethrower!" Serena took this moment to attack the opponents.

"Brai, brai-xen!" Braixen's Flamethrower hit one of its marks. The other Shealing, the one which used to wear Ash's cap, dodged it only by inches.

"Liii-ing!" The Shealing did not hesitate a moment to fly around Pikachu to attack it from behind.

"Pikachu! Behind you!" Ash warned his Pokemon. "It's Wing Attack! Dodge it!"

"Pika!" Pikachu slid to its right and Shealing's Wing Attack flew by overhead.

The other Shealing, which just recovered from Braixen's attack, lined up for another round of Bubble Beam.

"Braixen, dodge to side! Don't try to deflect it!" Braixen jumped to its left. The quick burst of Bubble Beam whizzed right next to Braixen. Then, the Shealings flew up and up into the air.

"Serena, can you give Pikachu a boost?" Ash asked Serena. She was confused for a second, but she quickly got her senses back together and nodded back.

"Braixen, give Pikachu a boost!" Braixen placed its stick in her tail and held her hands and arms together.

"Brai-xen!" When Pikachu jumped onto Braixen's hands, she flung Pikachu in the air. Pikachu seemed to know what to do next and charged its electricity.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt, let's go!" Ash confirmed Pikachu's guess. On the moment when Pikachu met Shealings in mid-air, it unleashed its electricity.

"Pika-CHUUUU!" Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck both Shealings and it was super effective. They soon recovered from the attack and hovered in the air.

"Braixen! Use Fire Blast!" Braixen quickly popped its stick out from its tail and waved it.

"Brai-xeeeen!" A beam of fire shot out from its stick and it began to split into five different beams. The Fire Blast was charging for the Shealings.

"Shea-ling! Ling! Ling!" The two Shealings blew the flame away from them with their wings. The combined force of the wind was strong enough to have the Fire Blast backfire onto Pikachu and Braixen. Then, they flew in for an attack.

"Braixen! Let's try again! Fire Blast! You can do it!" Serena encouraged her Braixen for another Fire Blast. She assumed that they would not be able to dodge this attack with their gathering speed.

Ash made the same assumption and took this opportunity as well. "Pikachu! Electro Ball!"

"Brai! Brai-xen!"/ "Pika-pika-pika-pika-pika-CHU PI!" The two combined attacks fused into one bigger attack. The Fire Blast now had an electric sparkle in it. The Shealings, who were charging directly into Pikachu and Braixen, panicked and tried to turn away.

"Liiing!" They cried after they were hit by the attack. It was a direct hit on the Shealings. They didn't have a chance to dodge as they were charging in with their Wing Attack. The two were knocked back from the blast and fell to the ground.

"All right! Go, Poke Ball!" Ash threw a Poke Ball at the Shealing which used to have Ash's cap. The one which used gust at the sand earlier. The Poke Ball made contact with its head and the Shealing was sucked into it.

As it wiggled, everyone watched in silence.

It wiggled once,

It wiggled twice,

It wiggled thrice and there was a subtle clicking sound. Ash dashed towards the ball and held it in his hand. He couldn't resist the happiness that rushed into him.

"All right! I've caught Shealing!"

"Pi-Pikachu-!" They both boasted and jumped in happiness.

The other Shealing, which hadn't been caught, walked away. Serena looked at it and clenched her fist as she had made her mind up. She whispered something to Ash and he gave her a Poke Ball.

"Hey," Just as the other Shealing was about to fly away, Serena called to it. "Yeah, you." The Shealing landed in front of Serena." I watched you fly for a while from our room up there."

"Ling?" Serena knelt down to the Shealing. The bird Pokemon gave her a confused look and a glance at the small Poke Ball.

"I really loved the way you flew back then. It was as if you danced in the sky, oh, I can't explain it for words!" Serena smiled. "I am a Pokemon performer. I travel around and perform with my friends, who are back there." She pointed at Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon. They were watching Serena and Shealing with a nervous look. Serena also had a nervous look on her face. "Would you like to come with us?" There was a slight pause. No one moved or spoke for a second. Then, the Shealing broke the pause.

"Shea-Ling!" The Shealing cried happily and Serena enlarged the Poke Ball.

"Okay! Here goes!" She threw the Poke Ball high up into the air.

"Sheaaaa-ling!" Shealing followed it and touched the Poke Ball with its wing. It was sucked into the Poke Ball and after a few wiggles, Serena's Poke Ball also clicked. Serena caught the Poke Ball in mid-air and grinned.

"Tada! It's a new chapter of my life, because I've caught a Shealing!"

"Brai-!"

"Pan, pancham!"

"Sylveon!"

"All right, Shealing. Come on out!" Ash and Serena exclaimed together and tossed their Poke Ball in the air. A second later, two Shealings were standing in front of them.

"From now on, we're all going to be good friends," Ash told their new members. "Right buddy?"

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu agreed to his trainer.

"Shealing!" It tweeted happily and swooped into the air. Serena's Shealing followed it.

"Maybe we should nickname them," Serena suggested. "It'll be hard for other people and them to tell each other apart."

"I'd rather not. I like their name as it is." Ash

"Okay, I'll think of one for mine…"

"Sheal-ling!" The two Shealings flew rapidly and took their trainer's hat.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed and tried to take it back. However, he was just a bit slow. The Shealings flew in a circle with the hats. "Now, that would be the way to tell them apart."

"Yeah. Mine likes my hat and yours loves yours!" Serena giggled. Ash smiled and then ran to his Shealing.

"Hey, you can do anything but that! Give it back to me!" He yelled.

"Shealing!" Shealing mocked Ash from the air as it circled above him.

* * *

With their new friend, Shealing, in their team, our Heros' journey in Aotea truly begins!

* * *

Apologies:

I am terribly sorry that I have not been able to upload anything since last year. I was, and am currently, working on a massive project that is very important to me. I couldn't find any time to write my story. I know now that I won't be able to upload regularly, but I will try to upload my story once in two weeks. Again, I am very, terribly sorry about the delay and thank you very much for reading this story so far.

Thank you, and I am very sorry.

-Alex0614


	6. Meeting of Two Trainers!

_I finally have another chapter good enough for you guys! Please enjoy!_

* * *

"Shealing, come on out!" Ash tossed the Poke Ball in the air. With a pop, Shealing emerged. "Right, let's see what you can do."

"Sheal-ling!" It did a loop in the air and dived straight for its owner's cap, climbing again at the last moment as he reached for it.

"Hey! Not my cap again!" Ash held on to his cap. "Lets focus on your ability for the moment. I want to know what you can do."

"Ling!" Shealing cried cheerfully and soared into the air and stayed up there, waiting for a command.

"Okay," Ash gave a glance at his Pokedex. "Let's start by Bubble Beam! Do it to that tree!" Ash pointed at one of the trees by the field and Shealing lined up for the burst. Then, it fired its Bubble Beam for a very short time.

The 3-second duration of the attack may seem too short, but it was enough for the tree to drop tens of apples.

* * *

On their way to Bora City for Ash's first Gym Badge, our heros have a little break at a field by the side of Route 1.

* * *

"Hmm…" Serena and her Shealing were resting under a shade. She was concentrating very hard on her Pokemon, thinking of something. "What should I call you…?"

"Shealing?" Shealing tilted its head in a curious manner. Serena snapped her fingers in enlightenment.

"Shelby, that's right! I'll call you Shelby! Is it all right with you?" She asked

"Ling!" The Shealing nodded.

"Hey, Ash! How is your Shealing?" Serena yelled to Ash. He was on the other side of the field, training hard with his Pokémon. Her voice didn't get through the noise of Pokémon moves. "Looks like they are training hard."

"Liiing!" Shelby flew up in the air as if it wanted to do something too. Serena stood up after it and began to train Shelby with basic moves for the Showcase. It picked up the concept without difficulty and soon, it was proven that all it needed was training. Shelby was natural for performance like Eevee was.

"Okay Shelby, this is enough for today. Come back down now." Serena called to her Pokémon. It flew down and took Serena's hat. Serena just smiled at it. 'I must get you a hat.' She made a mental note about it.

"Serena!" Ash called from a distance, "What time is it?"

"Time to go!" Serena yelled and beckoned Ash to come. He returned his Shealing into his Poke Ball and jogged towards Serena. "So, how is Shealing?" She asked.

"Well, it is one of the toughest I've ever caught," Ash answered.

"Let's go now. We have four more hours until the sun falls." She suggested as Ash picked his bag up and fastened it on his shoulders. Serena returned Shelby to the Poke Ball and retrieved the hat dropped on the grass. They walked into the road and headed for the Bora City.

It was not after they walked 10 steps before someone called them.

"Heeeyy! Is that you, Ash?"

Ash looked back. From a distance, two familiar people were waving to him.

"Hahona! Hahana!" The four ran towards each other.

"So it was you guys!" Hahona panted, "Man, you guys were so far ahead!"

"You were just lazy." Hahana snapped. "If you'd been more active, we would've already been ahead of them." She gave a glare at Hahona.

"Well, I'm not lazy!"

"Who on earth starts the day at lunchtime?" Hahana grilled at him with facts.

"Sorry, I was very tired yesterday…" Hahona murmured.

"Hmph!" She turned her head away from Hahona. After a moment, she gave him a side glance with squinting eyes. "All right, don't ever get that late again." She sighed.

"I won't." He promised.

"So, where are you headed?" Serena asked.

"We're going to Bora City for Hahona's gym challenge," Hahana replied.

"Same here. He's going to challenge the gym too."

"Speaking of the gym…" Hahona bursted out, "Can I have a battle with you, Ash?" He asked, "I've had battles with Hahana and she always beats me. Oh, by the way, she's a gym…" Hahana quickly covered Hahona's mouth and pinched him hard. Then she gave him a warning look.

"When I look at him, I just feel like I have to beat him." Hahana giggled. "It's that look on his face."

"Anyways, I think I'd win against you," Hahona said promisingly. This has started to annoy someone who watched Ash for a long time.

"Ash is strong!" Serena objected with annoyance. She was frowning. She knew how strong Ash really was. "He's been in the league many times!" She was gradually getting furious with her rage getting uncontrollable.

"Okay, Hahona, let's battle." Ash stepped into the scene. He gave Serena an assuring glance.

"Hey, you should give your best to beat me!" Hahona smiled and mocked. Ash simply smiled back.

"Shealing! I choose you!" Shealing popped out from the Poke Ball.

"Grabbit! Let's go!" Hahona threw his Poke Ball in the air. Grabbit emerged in front of him.

"Grabbit, let's do our best. Okay?" Hahona raised his fist.

"Bii! Gra-bii!" Grabbit cried cheerfully and hopped to an empty spot on the field

"Shealing, let's show them what we've got. Okay?" Ash told his Shealing.

"Ling!" Shealing cried cheerfully and flew for Ash's cap.

"No, not while a battle. It is rather large for you." Ash shook his head. Although it was disappointed, Shealing understood the limitation of the cap and flew to an empty spot on a field, opposite from where Grabbit was.

"Ready of not, let's begin! Grabbit, Tackle!" Hahona started.

"Dodge it!" Ash commanded. Shealing swiftly dodged the Tackle by flying slightly up. Grabbit sped below it. "Use Bubble Beam!"

"Huh?" Hahona was confused about Ash's command. Surely, a Shealing couldn't possibly use water type moves, could it?

"What? Bubble Beam?" Hahana was confused, too. She has heard of Shealings using Bubble Beam, but never expected to see one for herself.

"Shea-liiing!" Shealing burst its attack. Grabbit tried to dodge, but it was too late.

"How could it use Bubble Beam?" Hahana wondered.

"I was surprised too when they used it. It wasn't like what the Pokedex said," said Serena.

"Wait, they?" Hahana asked.

"I caught a Shealing with Ash. It was also using Bubble Beam." Serena explained. "is it that strange? Using Bubble Beam?"

"Although Shealing's evolved form is a flying and water type, they don't learn water type moves before evolving. Compared to Bullet Seed, Bubble Beam is much, much stronger." Hahana explained.

"Grabbit, are you okay?" Hahona asked. Grabbit's damage was reduced, but it was still significant.

"Bii!" Grabbit cried.

"Good, use Vine Whip!" Hahona ordered. Grabit waved it's vine from its ears and threw it towards Shealing.

"Graa-Bii!" Grabbit's vine whip was caught on Shealing's wing. Grabit spun Shealing around and threw it into a tree.

"Great!" Hahona cheered. But after a moment, the Shealing soared into the air again. Hahona clenched his fist. "Shealings... They are tough, indeed."

"Shealing, are you okay?" Ash asked. Shealing circled around him as a powerful answer of OK. "All right, use Wing Attack!"

"Ling! Shea-liing!"

"Catch it!" Hahona shouted.

* * *

From a distance away, two people in white uniform and a Meowth was walking sluggishly through a forest.

"We've walked so far…" Jessie murmured

"...Into the woods…" James added his voice.

"...And we haven seen a single other Pokemon…" Meowth finished.

"Aargh! Where are those Pokemons?!" Jessie raged and punched a tree which happened to be right next to her. The tree swayed from side to side and a dozen objects fell.

"Huh? What are these?" James asked. The object was golden yellow and it was cylindrical, but pointy on one side.

"It is pointy and round," Meowth commented,

"And it is yellow."

"And it has very familiar eyes… HAH?" The three simultaneously jumped back in fear after identifying the objects as a Kakuna.

"It's all right, they can't move, can they?" James assured himself.

"That's right." Right after Jessie finished her sentence, dozen Kakunas shined brightly.

"Could they be?" Meowth stuttered.

"No way." Jessie was blinded by the flash and was knocked backwards. When the trio could open their eyes, Kakunas were no longer there. Instead, there were a dozen Beedrills.

"Run!"

They ran and ran and ran and ran for their lives. Beedrills chased after them ferociously.

"We're sorry! We are very sorry for disturbing ya!" Meowth cried.

"Please, accept our apology!" James begged

"Please, stop chasing us and go back to rest!" Jessie yelled.

* * *

After a while, Beedrills stopped chasing the Team Rocket. However, that didn't mean that they were unscathed. They had scars all over their body. They were extremely tired from all that running they did.

"Well, they got away…" James muttered

"But the scar never goes away…" Jessie added.

"Someone please use a potion on me…" Meowth pleaded.

They slopped along Route 1 for a while. Then, Jessie saw people. Upon close look, she identified them.

"Hey, look at that," Jessie told her partners.

"It's the twerp!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Kalos twerp is here too," James observed.

"They really look preoccupied with that battle." Meowth looked at them. They were focused on the battle between two Pokemons.

"I'd say this is the chance to catch that Pikachu!" Jessie smiled.

"Wu-buffe-"/ "Shh!"

"We need to get closer to them and silently." She suggested.

The team rocket sneaked their way to Serena and Pikachu. They were using thick shrubs as cover. As they got closer, Pikachu's tail wiggled a bit as it detected something.

"Pika?" Pikachu looked back. There were nothing but a field with some thick shrubs. It turned back and the trio took this opportunity to get closer to it. "Pika?" Pikachu noticed something again and looked back. It only saw the same view as it was just a moment ago.

"Pikachu, what's wrong?" Serena asked the Pokémon. The electric mouse stared at a shrub for a while. Suddenly, the shrub made a rustling noise.

"Pika-pika-pika chu PI!" Pikachu shot an Electro Ball at the bush. The explosion blasted leaves everywhere. Everyone looked at the smoke in surprise and confusion.

"What's happening?!" Hahana yelled,

"Prepare for trouble!" A woman's voice boomed from the smoke

"And make it double!" A man's voice could also be heard.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

There was a silhouette of two people. One had long, tidy hair and the other's was short.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

The smoke slowly cleared up, and two Team Rocket members emerged.

"It's Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth jumped in from nowhere and Wobuffet added his statement in the introduction.

"Wo-buf-fet!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled.

"Aren't you ever tired of coming after us?" Serena sighed.

"We are tired, all right," Jessie replied with frustration. "just give up Pikachu!"

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu cried furiously.

"Team Rocket?" Hahona wondered. "Do they blast off in rockets or something?"

"Oi, Alex0614! Did he had to mention 'blast off?'" Meowth complained to the author in disgust, breaking the 4th wall in the process.

"A talking Meowth? Eww, it's weird!" Hahana frowned.

"Who's calling me weird? I've practised day and night for Meowzie, and she ended up with a Persian and…*sniff*" It protested tearfully while James comforted him. Despite his efforts to calm him down, Meowth charged into Hahana.

"You are going to pay for it!" Meowth's nails were lengthened for Scratch. Hahana tried to dodge, but she was slower than the Pokemon. It looked like Meowth's scratch would be successful.

"Chuu-pika!" Pikachu's Iron Tail was faster and stronger than Meowth's attack, knocking it back to where it was.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

"Pika-CHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu jumped slightly and used its Thunderbolt.

"Wobuffet, do what you need!" As usual, Jessie allowed her Wobuffet to do what he thought would be the best. In this case, it was Mirror Coat.

"Wabaa-fet!" The Thunderbolt ricocheted off from Wabafet's Mirror Coat. Sparkles of electricity were now headed for the electric mouse.

"Pikachu, dodge to the side! Shealing! Use Bubble Beam!"Shealing lined up for the shot. Then it charged in with the attack.

"Shea-liing!"

"Wobuffet, let's do it again!" Jessie asked her Pokemon.

"Wabaa!" Like it did earlier, Wobuffet repeated its previous move. The strong burst of Bubble Beam now headed directly towards the sender.

"Fly around it!" Ash instructed.

"Sheeeeeaaaa-liinnng!" Shealing corkscrewed around the mirrored Bubble Beam and charged towards Wobuffet.

"Now! Use Wing Attack!" Ash commanded his Pokemon. Shealing's Wing Attack slammed right into Wobuffet, which couldn't prepare for it.

"He planned that all along?" Hahona thought out loud in shock. "Just how strong is he?"

"He must be pretty strong, all right," Hahana replied to Hahona. "I can see that he is very experienced, and his bond and passion for Pokemon incredible. With his other Pokemons, he would have a chance against the Elite Four."

"That strong?" He asked in surprise, "and what do you mean about 'his other Pokemons'?"

"You'll see later." Hahana smiled.

"Let's wrap it up! Pikachu! Thunderbolt! Shealing, Bubble Beam!"

"Pika-CHUUUUU!"/ "Sheeea-LING!"

"WHAAAAAA!" Team Rocket screamed out loud. With an explosion, they were gone.

"Pikachu is as strong as ever!" James commented.

"It is worthy as our target." Meowth nodded.

"We need to get Pikachu as soon as possible!" Jessie yelled as they flew off to the open sky.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Waaa-bua-fet!"

They disappeared into the sky.

"Well, they do blast off," Hahona observed, "great word choice on their name!"

"Right, let's continue the battle." Ash moved with his Shealing to place. Hahona nodded and went to the opposite side with his Grabbit.

"Guys!" Serena yelled, "We have to go, now!"

"It's getting late. If we go later than now, we will never get to the city by tomorrow morning." Hahana explained and gave Hahona his bag. He accepted it quietly and wore it.

"I guess this one is a draw, then," Ash said disappointedly. He returned Shealing into his Poke Ball.

"Let's go, now!" Serena threw Ash his backpack. "Hurry!"

The four paced their way into the open horizon.

* * *

 _Thank you for reading this chapter!_


	7. Bora Gym Battle!(1)

"There it is! The Bora City!" Hahona exclaimed.

"So how do we get to the central city?" Ash asked Hahana

"We could go over the bridge," Hahana pointed at the bridge, "or around the bay."

"Let's go over the bridge." Ash said, "I can't wait any longer for the Gym battle!"

"Yeah, me too!" "Let's go, guys!" Ash and Hahona dashed ahead in Extreme Speed.

"Yep, that's him alright!" Serena laughed.

"Looks like boys are boys." Hahana giggled along with her. They followed the boys down the bridge.

* * *

Our heroes finally approach the Bora City, where Ash and Hahona are going to get their first Gym Badge of the region.

* * *

"The bridge is long…" Hahona said after running for few minutes. He'd only gotten less than quarter of the way to the city. Ash seemed to have some energy left, but he waited for Hahona to catch his breath. Soon, Hahana and Serena had caught up with them.

"The bridge is long enough for you to get tired," Hahana said, "It takes a while to walk across. It is a long bridge, but the view from here is awesome." The four leant against the railing and looked out to the bay.

The scenery was quite something. On the right side of the bay, which was the city centre, a needle-shaped tower sprouted out from a field of white, graceful buildings. A marina full of yachts and white masts and sails mixed in well with glittering cobalt blue water. On the other side, there was a forest which they had just gotten through. The sky was clear with some patch of thin clouds and a light breeze. All of that created a harmonical elegance.

"They don't call it 'The City of Sails and Wind' for nothing," Hahona commented.

"Yeah." Ash nodded in agreement. "It's an awesome place!"

"It's an amazing view!" Serena chirped.

"And we're going right into that city! Let's go!" Hahona pulled Hahana by her hand and jogged forward, towards the majestic city.

"Come on, this way!" Hahana directed the gang into a slope on the right which was leading to the ground level of the city centre.

"This bridge actually passes through the city, right?" Hahona remembered.

"Yes, if you want to get to the city itself, you have to get down this slope or the next few ones. If you keep to the left, then you will reach the route 2." Hahana walked ahead of everyone. "Follow me! I know the way to the Gym."

They walked for a few minutes and reached a very lively place. It was full of people commuting to work and shoppers getting groceries and goods.

"This place is usually full of people at any time of the day."

"Bora City is the biggest city in Aotea Region." Hahona agreed. "The city and the outskirt is the centre of almost everything from banking to education."

"We'll come back here later for our supplies. But first, we need to get to the Gym!" Hahana and Hahona pushed Ash and Serena, who still were looking around the street, on to their destination.

A few blocks later, they reached a plaza. It was surrounded by buildings and little parks. There was a huge structure in the centre. It was the needle-shaped tower they'd seen before on the bridge. The upper section of the tower had a curved cone-like structure for housing infrastructures inside. From the ground level, the logo of Pokemon Center and a logo of a blue T, with a dot on the top, in a circle was also visible. was visible on the lower side of the cone.

"It's huge…" Serena said quietly.

"Pii-kaa…"

"This is the Sky Needle," Hahana spoke gleefully. "It is the tallest tower in the region. It's also the main Pokemon Center for this city."

"A Pokemon Center? Not a Gym?" Ash asked. He obviously remembered the Lumiose Tower, which had happened to be a Gym with Clemont, his friend in Kalos, as the Gym Leader."

"It is a Pokemon Center." Hahona confirmed the truth. "It wasn't meant to be one from the start, but it happened to be at the best spot for it. Also, people preferred it being the Pokemon Center rather than being owned by a corporation."

"However, they do have one of their office in the tower." Hahana lead them onto another street. "We'll come back here later."

Then they walked for a while, chatting along the way. The breeze was now blowing from the front and it smelled lightly of salt. When they passed the city block, there were no street left in front of them. There only was the seafront, which had the marina. They walked along the terraced houses on their left and densely packed boats and masts on their right.

"And this is the Gym!" Hahana pointed at a door. It had a logo which showed that it was a Gym on the door, but it looked like a residential terrace. The terrace was white with red roof slanted to one side and it had four separate houses under the same roof. It overlooked the seafront, which gave a view of the marina and calm waves outside the low marina seawall.

"This is the Gym?" Serena asked in doubt. It really didn't like a Gym at all. It was too ordinary. As a 'Gym', the first thing on her mind was a landmark the Lumiose Tower.

"If Hahana says it is, it is. Let's go!" Hahona bash opened the door and shouted, "I AM HERE TO CHALLENGE THE GYM!" The voice was loud enough to rattle the house.

"You don't need to shout so loud," A young woman came down from the stairs. She had white shirts and a very colourful scarf tied in a clean knot complete with a pair of jeans. She also wore a stained apron over it. With her blonde hair spotted with ink and a paintbrush in her hand, she looked like someone who really enjoyed painting. No wonder she looked annoyed by the sudden disturbance. "Gosh, I thought the house was crumbling down." She complained, but she smiled a moment later.

"Ok, so what's your name?" She asked Ash.

"I'm Ash, and this is my buddy, Pikachu." Ash gave a glance at Pikachu.

"Pika, pikachu!" Pikachu waved its paw as a greeting.

"I'm Serena,"

"I'm Hahona," Then, he pointed at Hahana, "and you probably know Hahana."

"The name's Judy. I'm the Gym Leader of Bora City." She introduced herself to the gang. Then they walked upstairs. On the wall, There were several paintings of the marina and meadows along route 1. There also was a few paintings of Smeargle. "Ok, for you two to challenge this Gym, there is a very simple test that you have to pass."

"A test? Hah…" Hahona sighed in dismay.

"No, no it's not as bad as it sounds like. Let me finish." She then blew a whistle with her fingers. A Smeargle hopped downstairs.

"Hey, a Pokemon that I've never met!" Hahona exclaimed in joy.

"Guys, meet my partner, Smeargle!"

"Smeargle?" Hahona pulled up his Pokedex. He'd never seen the Pokemon before.

"Smeargle, Painter Pokemon, Normal Type. Smeargle marks the boundaries of its territory using an inky fluid that leaks out from the tip of its tail. In some rare cases, a group of this Pokemon ends up creating a harmonious masterpiece."

"Ok, so what is this test you are talking about?" Ash asked.

"Just wait and see." She smiled.

At the top of the staircase, there were two doors on either side. They went through the one on the left. Beyond the door, they saw a little studio. There was a window at one side and sunlight was flowing into the wooden floor through the window. A shelf of well-labelled boxes stood by the opposite wall and rolled canvas and papers were scattered in front of it. It looked messy, but rather neat, too. In the centre of the room, there was three stands and each had a canvas on it. One of them was covered in purple cloth.

"This place is where I draw." Judy explained, "Smeargle and I like to draw."

"What is this?" Hahana pointed at the canvas covered with a cloth.

"It is a work that we are working on. Please don't touch it; it is rather sensitive to sunlights." She replied.

"So, what is the test?" Ash asked. Without a moment's pause, Judy walked over to the shelf and brought out a tray of paint tubes and brush. It also had two black boxes.

"I will tell you what to draw, and you draw it! As soon as you are done, your Pokemon is going to find the object and bring it back here!"

"Is that it?" Hahona asked. He had expected more than this. From what he'd heard about Gyms, it was just too simple.

"Yes, it is. I did tell you that you don't need to worry," She brought out two stools and placed it in front of the two canvas. "When you pass this, you can challenge me. Take a seat."

They did so, and Smeargle gave them a pot. It was full of papers neatly folded to conceal its secret. While Ash and Hahona were picking their paper, Judy opened two black boxes from the tray. Each had a blue cloth collar with a tag engraved with the symbol of the Gym.

"So, have you chosen your object?" Judy asked.

"Yes, I did," Hahona answered.

"I did too," Ash replied too.

"Which Pokemon are you going to use for the errand?"

"Pikachu! Are you ready?" Pikachu jumped down from his trainer's shoulder as a response. "He's going to do a good job. Right, buddy?"

"Pika-Pikachu!" The Gym Leader attached the collar on its neck.

"I'll go with Grabbit!" Hahona tossed a Poke Ball to let Grabbit out. Judy also attached the collar to him as well.

"Pika?" Pikachu pointed at the collar and tried to take it off. For Pikachu, the collar was unnecessary and uncomfortable.

"What's the collar for?" Serena noticed Pikachu's reaction and asked the Gym Leader.

"The Pokemon will have to go get the item, right? This collar lets the people know that I've sent you. I've told them everything, and you are free to collect the item." She knelt down to Pikachu. "I'm sorry for frustrating you with this collar. Girls, please." She gestured the girls to get behind the canvas where they won't be able to see the painting. Then, she turned back to the two boys. They were holding a paintbrush in their hand. "Right, let's begin!"

The challengers have started to draw on the canvas while the Pokemon looked at it with a puzzled look. Ash was drawing something like an upside-down heart with a pink paint and added a leaf underneath it. Hahona on the other hand, was drawing a blue oval. He then added a little tip and dark blue spots.

"Pika! Pika-chu!" Pikachu recognised the berry at once and got excited. It was totally ready to go get that tasty, healing berry.

"Gra-bii! Bii!" Grabbit also recognised its berry. It was the beautiful, gorgeous little berry which gives some energy to go on further.

"Looks like you know what you need to get." Judy opened the door to let the Pokemon out. They skipped their way down to the front door.

"Can we go with them?" Hahana asked.

"Sure, why not? Ash, Hahona, you guys need to stay here." She replied.

"Let's go! It'll be fun." Hahana grabbed Serena's hand and pulled her towards the door. They promptly disappeared out of the door.

"I'll see you later, Ash!" Serena yelled from the stairs.

Hahana closed the door behind them and once again, they were on the street. The Pokemons dashed forward to the way they came from and the girls followed them.

What they didn't know was that someone was watching them from a building nearby.

"Looks like they are alone without the twerp boy."

"An opportunity to catch Pikachu! That's what this is!"

"Hold, on. We don't have a Pokemon yet. The Kalos twerp is fluent in battles too. And we don't know how strong the other girl is."

"We must be cautious with our approach."

"Let's keep following them."

Back on the street, the Pokemons ran forward into another street and another while Serena and Hahana jogged after them.

"What are they looking for?"

"I don't know. But I think they are heading for the market."

"How do you know?"

"Well, we are going towards the Sky Needle and shortly after that, there is the shopping street."

"The one we passed earlier?"

"Uh-huh."

They then arrived at the landmark. They passed right through the plaza and headed onto the shopping street. It still had people shopping for groceries, but not as much as before. After all, it was just after lunch. Pikachu sniffed for its target and before Serena could stop it, it detected the object and jumped onto a stall.

A shopkeeper, an elderly woman at her 70s, noticed Pikachu and stood up. "Kia ora, are you here for the test from Judy?" She greeted.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu replied with a nod. "Pi-pika-pi" It pointed at the pink berry.

"A Pecha Berry… are you sure it is the one to pick up?" She asked. Pikachu nodded repeatedly. " Well, then. Go on, take one." Pikachu held the berry in its mouth. The lady then took the token off from the collar.

Then, it was Grabbit's turn. It jumped onto the table next to a basket full of blue berries.

"What would you like, dear?"

"Bii! Gra, grabii!" It pointed at the basket next to it.

"An Oran Berry? Very well," She picked up the berry and held it in front of Grabbit "take it. It's yours." Grabbit grabbed the berry with its ears. Then, she removed the token as well.

"Kia ora!" Hahana said with a smile.

"It's nothing. It's an honour to be a part of the Gym challenge. You must get going now. Go on!"

"So, what does Kia ora mean?" Serena asked on their way back.

"Kia ora means hello, and thank you. It's our native language. Not a lot of people in the Te Ika Island use it, but lots of people in Pounamu Island tends to know a few phrases."

"And you?" Serena asked.

"Well, Hahona and I was raised in a little village in the Pounamu. We are fluent in the language."

They jogged back towards the Gym, passing many street lamps and shops along the way. Then they turned into an alleyway. It was fairly light, but there were no one on the street.

"The next turn leads to the boulevard. We're going to get back soon." Hahana

"Pika?" Pikachu, who was dashing in the front, noticed something strange and slid to stop.

"Grab-" Grabbit didn't notice the odd thing and got caught in a net made of fishing wire. It was then bounced back to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked.

"Bii! Bii grabii!" Grabit jumped up and down frantically with annoyance. Pikachu tried to calm it down.

"It looks like something's up," said Serena. Hahana nodded in agreement. "Let's go back!"

They ran to the other end of the alleyway. However, the only thing that they have discovered was that it was netted as well. They learned it in the hard way, too. They were thrown off to the floor from the bounce.

"It's blocked!" Hahana shouted.

"Tee-hee-hee-hee!" A familiar, rather annoying laughter boomed from above.

"Prepare for trouble!" A woman said proudly

"And make it double!" A man added in triumph.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

There was a silhouette of two people. One had long, tidy hair and the other's was short. The sunlight shined upon them from behind, like a halo.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"It's Jessie!"

"And James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth jumped in from behind and Wobuffet finally added his statement in the introduction.

"Wo-buf-fet!"

"Grabi!"

"Pi pi-kachu!" Pikachu sparked some electricity in fury.

"Hold on Pikachu we'll handle it."

"Pika?"

"You guys need to be ready for the Gym battle soon." Serena took out a Poke Ball. "Braixen! I need you now!" Serena exclaimed. After retrieving the empty Poke Ball, she told Hahana, "I'll handle it here. When I burn that net, you run to the Gym with them. Ok?"

"No! I'll help, too!"

"Just go!" Serena yelled. "Braixen! Flamethrower!"

"Braix-xeen!" A flame shot out of its stick and it directly hit the net. However, it did not burn up nor melt.

"Huh?"/ "Brai?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! This net has been doused with flame retardants!" Meowth laughed at the puzzled two.

"Amaura! Let's go!" Hahana, who sent Amaura out

"Hahana!?" Serena shouted in surprise.

"Hey, you weird Meowth," Hahana mocked, "Have you doused it with de-ice?" Then, she nodded at Amaura and it nodded back. Without hesitation, it used Icy Wind at the net. The net froze immediately.

"Huh?!" While the Team Rocket were in shock and awe, Serena quickly sent out Pancham.

"Pancham! Arm Thrust!"

"Pa-cham!" A direct hit on the net proved to be effective as the net shattered into thousands of pieces.

"Eeeek!" Jessie screamed as piles of ice shards rained to the ground.

"Let's send them away!" Hahana yelled her suggestion. Serena replied with a nod.

"Amaura, Aurora Beam!"/"Braixen, Flamethrower! Pancham! Dark Pulse!"

"No! No! Not so early!" Meowth bellowed in utter disappointment.

"We haven't taken your Pokémon yet!" James argued loudly. However, it was no avail. With the usual "We're blasting off again!", they were shot into the unknown from the impact of the attack.

"Hey, you're back!" Hahona greeted them as they walked in. "What took you so long?"

"Some complications," Hahana muttered.

"So, Pikachu, Grabbit," Judy asked, "Have you got your stuff?"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped onto a stool next to Ash's painting and proudly held the pink, delicious Pecha Berry out.

"Nice work, buddy!" Ash smiled.

"Bii!" Grabbit hopped onto the other stool and held out the energetic, blue Oran Berry.

"That's my partner!" Hahona nodded.

"Great!" Judy smiled, "You guys have passed! Now, without further ado, let's get to the fun part. Follow me!" She led them back downstairs. This time, however, they went down one more level.

The field was built in the basement. It was the usual official field. The floor consisted of dirt, and white lines marked the boundaries. The basement had a tall ceiling, but it was just barely wide enough to hold the field. That meant no spectator seats. No one minded that though.

Before the match, everyone gathered around the centre circle of the field.

"My assistant who usually does the refereeing is sick today. However, I think Hahana can take over for him." She turned to Hahana. "Can you?"

"Uh-huh." Hahana jumped to the centre edge of the field. "So, who's challenge are you going to accept first?"

"I dunno," She looked at the two. They clearly were enthusiastic about the upcoming battle. She took out a coin and tossed it in the air. She caught it and "heads or tail?"

"Heads!" Ash called.

"Tails!" Hahona called simultaneously.

"Guys, it is… Head!"

"Good luck." Hahona patted Ash on the back and jogged next to Hahana.

"You win this battle, Ash!" Serena kissed him on his cheek. "Good luck!" Ash nodded slightly. Then, his focus shifted to the field itself. It was the usual field. Just the right size for Pokemon to show off its talents. Just the right condition for an energetic battle. Just the right opponent present on the other side too.

Then he took his Poke Ball out and looked at it. Then he glanced at Pikachu, who was staring at Ash.

The two trainers made their way to their edge of the field.

"The Bora Gym match will now begin."

"Two Pokemon each will be used in this match. As soon as one party's Pokemon are all unable to battle, the battle is over."

"Furthermore, only the challenger is allowed to substitute his Pokemon during the battle."

"Both of you, please send out your Pokemon."

"My first Pokemon… is Kiwiwi!" A small, round bird Pokemon popped out from the Poke Ball. It had brown hair-like feathers and long, thin beak and strong talons on its short leg.

"Hmm..." Ash took his Pokedex out and aimed it at the Pokemon.

"Kiwiwi, Flightless Bird Pokemon, Normal Type. Although its eyesight isn't great, it has a great sense of smell and vibration."

"All right, Pikachu! Are you ready?"

"Pika!"

"He's using Pikachu!" Hahona cried.

"Go for it, Ash!" Serena cheered them on. Her Pokemon, which were out of their Poke Ball, cheered them on too.

"At your mark, Hahana." said Judy.

"Battle Begins!"

"All right!" Ash threw a fist forward. "Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Pikachu began to dash at high speed.

"Jump and dodge!" Kiwiwi jumped. Being a tad slow, Pikachu only managed to graze its leg. "Tackle!" Judy ordered and Kiwiwi straightened its leg and dived down for a kick.

"Iron Tail! Let's go!" Pikachu jumped up and turned its tail solid iron. It swung it upwards.

"Wiiiii-!"/ "Chuu-PIKA!" Kiwiwi's Tackle and Pikachu's Iron Tail clashed in mid-air. There was an explosion from the impact and both were knocked backwards with dust. Pikachu slid back to Ash on two. Kiwiwi also slid back and sniffed a little

"Are you alright?" Pikachu stood up and sparked its electricity. "OK! Here goes! Thunderbolt! Let's go!"

"Swift!" The moves clashed again in mid-air, creating another dust cloud. Kiwiwi sniffed once more.

"Pikachu! Use Iron Tail on the ground. Swipe it and don't make it too strong!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up high. Its tail turned, once again, into iron.

"What is he up to?" Hahona asked.

"I'm not sure, but he always surprises me. I think he's got a plan." Serena replied hopefully.

"Fury Swipes!" Judy waved her arms as her Pokemon bolted forward.

"Chu…" Pikachu cried as it swung its tail. "PiKA!" The tail grazed the floor and big dust clouds began to form. Kiwiwi dashed straight into it. Soon, it lost its sense of direction and confused as huge amounts of dust were sucked into its nose on its beak. It went in circles and never got close to Pikachu.

"Wow!" Judy cried in amusement.

"Pikachu, get closer to Kiwiwi!"

"Pi, pi, pi, pi"

"Now use Iron Tail!" Ash held out his fist. "Strike its beak!"

"Chu-PIKA!" The tail hit its mark. Kiwiwi took a heavy impact from the Iron Tail. On top of that, beak on the Flightless Bird was one of its most critical, sensitive part of its body.

It took a critical hit and got knocked out.

"Kiwiwi is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" There was a loud voice from the side of the field as Serena and Hahona cheered on.

"Thanks for the battle, Kiwiwi. Take a good rest now." Judy said as she returned the Pokemon. "Nice battle," she said, "it's likely that the Pokedex gave you some information, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Good job, Ash. However, you still have another one to go." She looked back to Smeargle. "Smeargle, let's go!"

"Pikachu, return." Pikachu ran back to Ash.

"Oh, you're already returning him?" She asked.

"I want this guy to have a go at a gym." Ash took his Poke Ball out and threw it forward. "Shealing, I choose you!" Shealing soared up and stretched its body. "Shealing, this is the Gym battle that you've been waiting for. Let's give it all we got!"

"Shea-Ling!" Shealing replied with enthusiasm.

"Battle begins now!"

"We don't know which move it may use. Be careful!" Ash yelled

"Use Sketch!" Smeargle waved its tail as if it were painting a picture.

"Sketch? What is that move?" Hahona wondered.

"If I am remembering it right, it is a move which allows Smeargle to copy the previous move in a match. In this case, it must have copied Iron Tail." Serena explained.

"Shealing, use Bubble Beam!" Shealing shot its burst out for three seconds.

"Use Agility and dodge!" Smeargle's movement got faster and it was able to avoid the strong pulse of bubbles.

"It's fast." Ash muttered. "Use Wing Attack!"

"Iron Tail!" Smeargle's glowed and turned into a solid whip.

"No, dodge it!" Shealing flew up at the last minute and the Iron Tail slashed the empty air. "Gust!"

"Shea-ling! Ling! Ling!" It flapped its wing and a huge gust of wind caused Smeargle to fall over.

"Looks like Ash is avoiding close contact." Hahona observed.

"The Iron Tail is super effective against Shealing, so I think it is best for it." Serena added.

"But we don't know what Smeargle's other two moves are." "And I have a bad feeling about this." She said quietly.

"Keep using Bubble Beam!" Ash commanded.

"Agility, again!" Judy yelled. Smeargle zipped out of the way rapidly as Shealing attacked it repeatedly.

'We've got to finish this before it's too late.' Ash told himself. Smeargle was dashing all over the field in speed. On top of that, the more it uses Agiligty, the more faster it became in the end. If Ash and Shealing don't take Smeargle down now, it may become too fast for them. "Let's finish this quicker. Wing Attack!"

"Oh, no." Serena sighed. "He's getting reckless again."

And this was the moment Judy was waiting for.

"Let's make this easier! Use Spore!" Smeargle sprayed a mist of orange powder.

"Quick! Blow it away!" Shealing used gust to blow the Spore back towards Smeargle. However, the Pokemon wasn't there anymore. It was behind Shealing.

"Iron Tail, right now!" It swiftly used Iron tail on Shealing, slamming it into the ground.

"Shealing!" Ash shouted.

"Liiinn…" Shealing had taken heavy damage from the attack.

"Are you okay?" It answered by soaring again. It cried loudly to assure its trainer.

"Good, let's use Bubble Beam!" It gave out many pulses of bubbles, but Smeargle had dodged every one of them.

"It looks like Smeargle is now too fast for Shealing."

"Shealing is strong but pretty slow for a bird type." said Hahona. "But that Smeargle is getting faster and faster."

"Shealing, return!" Ash recalled Shealing into its Poke Ball, realising that it would no longer be able to deal with Smeargle. Smergle had the upper hand in every corner, especially speed. Shealing, which was caught few days ago, hadn't had enough training and experience for the battle against Smeargle.

"It was the type match-up." Hahana crouched on her foot to rest her leg.

"What do you mean?" Hahona asked.

"Smeargle can use any type of moves with Sketch. Shealing is a Water and Flying type. Iron tail is super effective against flying type. On top of that, Aurora Beam is an Ice type move, also super effective against Flying type."

"It was a very difficult battle for Shealing…" said Serena.

"That's why Smeargle is difficult to deal with. You never know which moves it might use." Hahana added. "And we don't know its last move yet." She then stood up again to oversee the battle.

"Shealing, you were great. Let's train harder and win next time." He placed the Poke Ball back into his belt.

"So, how about now?" Judy asked. "We are now both down to one Pokemon."

"We're not done yet!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu! Let's go again, buddy!"

"Pika!" Pikachu dashed out to the field and sparked its electricity in an energetic manner.

"Begin the battle!" Hahana proclaimed.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

"Pi, pi, pi, pi," "pika!"

"Follow up with Electro Ball!"

"Chuuuu. PIKA!"

"A double-hit!"

"Smeargle, are you okay?" "Right! Aurora Beam!"

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Agility!" "Dash around Pikachu!"

"Pikachu, hang in there!" "Get your tail ready!"

"Agility again!" "Iron Tail!"

"Parry It!"

"Smeargle! Aurora Beam!" "Smee-!?"

"What is wrong with it?" Hahona asked.

"Wait, if I remember right…" Serena took her Pokedex out and typed something on it. "Yes! It is Pikachu's Static!"

"Static?"

"When an opponent physically touches Pikachu, it sometimes gets paralysed!"

"Pikachu! Electro Ball!"

Smeargle tried to dodge, but its paralysis made made it harder to do so. In the end, it jumped and dodged just by an inch.

"Smeargle, can you move?"

"It's all right, we still have a way." "Let's get even! Use Spore!"

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, "Hang in there!" Pikachu had breathed in the Spore. It was getting drowsey. They only had moments left before they could attack. "Ok, let's settle this with this last move! Quick Attack!"

"Pi, pi, pi," Pikachu skipped in zig zag zags and then dashed towards its foe.

"Iron Tail!" It's tail was now glowing silver.

"pi, pi, pi," It was getting closer and closer to the target.

"Hit it!"

"Smeargle, Iron Tail! Give it all you got!" Smeargle could barely move, but it tried hard to swing its tail. It obly was able to move moments before the impact

"pi, pi, pika!"/"Mear-GLE!" There was an explosion from the impact. No one knew for sure what had happened. As the smoke cleared, everyone gasped as both pokemons were still standing.

A slight moment later, they both fell onto the floor.

"It's a draw!" Hahona called out, but his statement had to be confirmed by the judge, Hahana.

"Smeargle is unable to battle. Pikachu wins! Which means Ash from Pallet Town wins the match!"

"Huh?" Hahona was confused by the judgement. "How is it not a draw?" He asked.

"Look!" Serena pointed at the Pokemon. Smeargle's eyes had the usual twirl of being faint. However, Pikachu was a bit different. Its eyes were just closed and it looked very relaxed. "Pikachu is just sleeping!" Hahona exclaimed in awe.

Ash walked and picked up Pikachu, "Hey, thanks for today, buddy." He told softly. Pikachu replied with a slight coo.

"Here, I'll hold him." Serena jogged towards Ash. He handed Pikachu over to her.

"Thanks Smeargle, have a good, long rest." Judy smiled as she returned her Pokemon. "Well, Ash. Thanks for the wonderful battle!" She took out the badge from her back pocket. "Here, it's the Common Badge! You deserve it!"

Ash held the badge in his hand. It was made of a golden circular metal with a waved edge, along with a grey circle inside. The circle itself was split into three parts.

"This is it! I got the Common Badge!"

* * *

With Ash's first Gym Badge of the Aotea Region, the time has come for our other hero to get his first Gym Badge in his life.

* * *

Hello, again! Sorry for the vacancies and I don't think that I can be regular with my story. However, I will be keeping my mind into it and keep it alive! Thank you very much!


	8. Bora Gym Battle!(Rematch!)

Hahona sighed as his Pokemon was getting revived at the Pokemon Center. At the balcony, he was the only one there. It was just moments after his first Gym Battle. The sun was falling as he thought about the battle.

He could've won the battle. It was a close battle too. However, he had forfeited the battle after when Grabbit was taking heavy hits from Smeargle after getting asleep from Spore.

He couldn't bear seeing Grabbit suffering helplessly. However, he knew that forfeiting was also a bad choice.

"Hahona," Hahana called from behind him, "dinner is ready…" She knew that he wouldn't reply, but gave it another go anyway. "Hahona, you should eat…"

All she saw was his shoulder going up and down as if he was taking a deep breath. She slid the door close and walked away, giving Hahona a moment alone. She knew that he is too troubled to speak with her.

"I'm so worried about him," Hahana started, "he's never skipped meals. Ever."

"I can understand him." Ash said, "I'm not sure about you, but we have lost on our first try. Also, I have forfeited too."

"So did I. But, It's just…" Hahana gulped some water, "I thought he could handle things differently than I did."

"How's Grabbit?" Serena asked.

"He's taking a long time, but almost recovered." said Hahana, "He should be out soon."

Then, there was the usual chime and Nurse Joy announced the revival of Grabbit. After that was when Hahona walked into the room and headed straight for the door. He did not stop for his friends to answer any question. He closed the door behind him and dashed towards the main desk to get Grabbit.

"I'll go talk to him," Ash said,

"Please do." Hahana sighed.

At the bottom of the Sky Needle, there was a nice little park. People were there walking, playing along with friends and Pokemon. A boy with Grabbit sat down on a bench and sighed.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Hahona said softly. "I know that I should've have forfeited, but…" He sighed. "I couldn't stand seeing you like that."

"Bii, bii." Grabbit tried to assure him that he did the right thing at the time. It didn't help at all.

"So, you were here." A voice landed on top of his head. Hahona looked up to see Ash standing next to him. Pikachu was sitting on his head. "Here," He sat down next to him and brought out a sandwich and a bag of Pokemon food.

"I'm not hungry." Hahona murmured.

"Come on, you should eat." He pushed the bag towards him. "And, Grabbit looks hungry." Grabbit was giving a greedy glance at the bag of Pokemon food.

"Eat up, Grabbit." Hahona opened the bag of Pokemon food. Then, he took a sandwich for himself. They both ate without a word.

"Hey, cheer up." Ash smiled. "You know, you kinda remind me of when I first got Pikachu," Hahona said nothing. "I got my first badge at Pewter City in Kanto. It was a Boulder Badge from Brock." "I pulled Pikachu out of battle two times. I couldn't bare to see Pikachu getting hurt so much."

"Boulder Badge… Boulder… Rock Type…"

"Yes, it was a disadvantageous battle for Pikachu. After all, he didn't learn Iron Tail back then."

"But… The things are different. You are definitely better than me."

"Don't jump to conclusions so fast." He sat down next to Hahona. "Everyone has their first days of being less skilled. I did, Serena did and you are just having one right now."

"Are you sure?" Hahona asked, "that things will get better? I will get better at this?"

Ash nodded. "Yes. I am. A hundred percent."

"So, any tips then?" Hahona changed the subject. He was going to try again.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to challenge Judy again." Hahona turned to Ash. "And you gotta help me. Please."

Ash smiled lightly. He knew that Hahona could get that badge. All he needed was a bit more practice and a tiny-tiny bit of experience. Ash nodded, "The best way would be to train harder and you noticing the tactics for yourself. Let's get started, I'll be your opponent."

* * *

The next day, the four were in front of the Gym again. Although Ash and Hahona practised well over into night, they looked fresh and enthusiastic.

"So, are you ready?" Serena asked.

"Well, we have trained." Hahona shrugged. "And we'll have to see if we've trained enough." He opened the door and they went in. At the basement, Judy was waiting for them.

"I knew you'd come back." Judy winced.

"So, when can we get started?" Hahona asked.

"How about now? Everything's ready!" Hahona nodded and looked at Ash.

"Just use all of your strengths. Give everything you've got." Ash patted Hahona in the back and they all headed in.

After a quick moment, the gym was ready for the battle. Today, an assistant was there to be the judge for the match. Ash, Serena and Hahana stood by the sideline.

"You can do it, Hahona!" Hahana shouted out loud.

"Pi, pika pika!"/"Maaura-!"

"Will he be okay?" Serena asked.

"Yeah! He should be able to get the badge." Ash then fixed his eye on Hahona, looking confident about him.

"The rules will be as same as yesterday," said Judy. "One on one battle."

"Okay!" Hahona replied confidently.

"The gym match between Judy the gym leader and Hahona the challenger will begin now." The assistant proclaimed. "Each person is going to use one Pokémon each and when one party's Pokémon is unable to battle, the victor will be determined. Both sides, please send out your Pokémon."

"Let's do this Smeargle!" Judy sent her Smeargle out.

"Grabbit, let's go!"

The assistant dropped his hand and declared the start of the battle. Smeargle was the first to make a move. It used Agility to gain speed.

* * *

Hours earlier, Hahona was training with Ash to prepare for his rematch.

"So, what do you think that you need to improve?" Ash asked. "Just tell me what you think."

"Erm…" Hahona thought for a moment. "Well, the main thing would be speed."

"Great! You know the problem!" Ash waved his hand. "Pikachu, let's go!" Pikachu jumped in front of Ash.

"So, how are we gonna do it?" Hahona wondered,

"Pikachu here is going to be your opponent. He's speedy and strong, so he should be great to practise against with."

"Let's do this then! Make your move!"

Ash nodded and yelled out his command, "Pikachu, run around the field!"

"Pika!" It dashed all over the place at speed. Grabbit now had to find a way to reach Pikachu. It dashed after it.

Fortunately, Grabbit wasn't very slow. It could catch up to Pikachu. Barely, that is.

'We'll never be able to get Pikachu at this rate." Hahona thought.

"Whatever you think, do it. This is the time to try everything." Ash advised.

"Ok," Hahona had made his mind up, "Grabbit, jump forward!"

"Gra-Bii!" It jumped up and forward. Grabbit wasn't a very fast runner, but it was a good jumper. It hovered for a few seconds in the air and landed in front of Pikachu.

"Yes!" Hahona yelled in joy.

* * *

Smeargle was gaining speed. Grabbit dashed after it. It looked like Grabbit could land a Tackle on Smearlge.

However,

"Smeargle! Agility, again!" With the Gym Leader's command, the Pokemon gained more speed. It was gaining distance. Hahona clenched his fist, hoping that the same would work on Smeargle.

"Jump forward, now!" Hahona shouted. Grabbit jumped forward and it was almost on top of Smeargle. "Vine Whip, now!"

"Grabii!" The Vine Whip wrapped onto Smeargle's body and it stopped it from going anywhere. Then, Grabbit threw it to the other side of the field.

"Now use Tackle!"

"Graa-Bii! Bii!" Smeargle had little time to react. It tried to dodge, but it was a bit too late.

"Yes!" "That's the way to go!"

"He's doing very well." said Hahana.

"Yep, he's doing fine." Ash agreed.

"Jump again, Grabbit!"

"Smeargle, wait for my mark!"

"Use Tackle!"

"Now! Jump!" Smeargle managed to dodge the Tackle attack. And, it followed up with a strong Iron Tail on its opponent.

* * *

Ash and Hahona were at a park near the Pokemon Center to practice the night before.

"Leaping could be the remedy for the speed issue." Hahona patted his Grabbit, "Nice work so far."

"Well, another thing that could be a trouble is jumping." said Ash.

"Grabbit can jump high and leap far." Hahona shrugged.

"Smeargle can jump for a bit too." Ash reminded him. "Remember, they have more experience than you guys do. You'll need to think in every possible way."

"Well…"

"Improvise, on the spot," Ash added.

"Ok, let's carry on with the training," Ash suggested. "Actually having a battle is better than just thinking around."

* * *

Grabbit, skip around!"

"Smeargle, Agility!" "Catch it!"

Smeargle was closing onto Grabbit. Hahona had to think something fast.

"Grabbit, jump and spin!"

"Bii!" Grabbit jumped and spun 180degrees, facing Smeargle now.

"Use Vine Whip!" Hahona ordered, "Pull him in and use Tackle!"

The vine whip wrapped around Smeargle, and it was pulled towards Grabbit. Just then, Judy raised her right hand.

"Smeargle, use Aurora Beam!" A pulse of mystic beam began to charge. Grabbit was connected with Smeargle and there was no way in which it could dodge.

An inevitable direct hit was made.

"Grabbit, are you alright?" Grabbit tried to answer, but it was struggling. Then Judy's command boomed.

"Iron Tail!" And with that, another slam came down upon Grabbit.

"Pull yourself together, Grabbit!" Hahona tried to encourage Grabbit, but it had taken too much damage.

Desperate for ideas, Hahona closed his eyes. He could pull him out and forfeit again. However, he knew that it wouldn't be much good for both of them. He knew that he had to go on.

* * *

"So, any last tips?" He asked.

"Give everything you've got." said, Ash. "It works every time."

"Pika, pikachu!"

* * *

Hahona opened his eyes. He felt a bit of weight in his right pocket and realised that he could use the content.

"Grabbit!" Hahona called, "Catch!" He threw him an Oran Berry. The berry that Grabbit got yesterday. Grabbit was puzzled to see the berry, but it followed its instinct. It ate it immediately.

"Can you go on?" He asked.

"Bii!" Grabbit yelled energetically. "Grabii!"

"Using the Oran Berry in battle! I've never thought of that!" Ash remarked.

"That's so him." said Hahana, "So unpredictable."

"Nice!" Judy exclaimed. "That was a very smart move."

"Thanks, I guess." Hahona shrugged.

"Ok, let's slow things down!" Judy shouted, "Spore!" A thick, yellow cloud started to form.

"Grabbit, Vine Whip!" Hahona pointed at the ceiling. "Grab onto the ceiling!" Grabbit jumped as high as it could and whipped out its vines. The vines clung onto a steel beam.

"Bii... Gra..." Grabbit was growing drowsy from the Spore. It was slowly losing the grip.

"Whatever you do, Grabbit, don't let go!"

"He's going to wait out the sleep effect up there?" Serena wondered,

"I wonder..." Hahana crossed her arms, "I'm not too sure if Grabbit will be able to hold on after he sleeps."

Grabbit was trying very hard not to fall asleep. However, it was losing its grip on the beam as seconds passed by and its eyelids were closing. While that was happening, Smeargle was waiting down on the ground.

Then, Grabbit's vines gave up. Grabbit fell asleep and it began to fall to the ground.

"Smeargle, this is our chance! Iron Tail" Judy commanded and Smeargle jumped. Then its tail flashed onto Grabbit.

"Smeee-gle!" Grabbit was slammed to the ground with a lot of dust. Everyone stared at it with a nervous look.

Suddenly, Grabbit jumped out of the smoke, and it was wide awake.

"Thanks, looks like your Iron Tail helped him to wake up," Hahona said with a glee in his face. "Use Vine Whip!" Grabbit wrapped Smeargle, which was lost in the dust, with its vine. "Use Tackle!" Grabbit dashed for Smeargle with all its might and landed a hit. A hit which would define the victor of the match.

Smeargle had fainted.

"Smeargle is unable to battle! Grabbit Wins! Therefore, Hahona wins the match!"

"Yes! We did it!"/"Bii!"

"He finally did it." Hahana sighed.

"He was great." Ash smiled. "He's going to improve a lot. I can see it."

"Smeargle!" Judy dashed to its side, "Are you fine?"

"Meragle!" Smeargle replied with a smile and satisfaction.

"Thanks for the battle, Smeargle." Judy smiled. Then she walked towards

"Well done, Hahona!" Ash congratulated him. "I knew you'd be great out here."

"Thanks, but I still have a lot to go, though." Hahona scratched his head.

"No, you were great!" Serena added.

"Hahona," Judy asked, "how did you think of using the Oran Berry?"

"Well, it just came to my mind, really." He explained, "I had to use everything, so I did."

"Well done, you." "I really like that battle. For that, you are going to get the Basic Badge from Bora Gym."

"Boom! That's my first Gym Badge, Basic Badge! I got it!"

"Grabii!"

"Also, I have another thing for you." Judy started, "It seems that your Grabbit only knows two moves now."

"We'll train harder," Hahona vowed.

"Well, I have something that could make it easier." Judy pulled out a collar with a round buckle from her pocket. "This is a TM, it stands for Technical Machine."

"What does it do?" He asked,

"It lets a Pokemon learn moves." She explained, "This one contains a move called Rock Smash. Attach it to a Pokemon and it will get the basic idea of it. You will have to train it to perfect it."

"Why don't you use it?"

Judy glanced at her Pokemon, "Smeargle isn't very fond of Fighting type moves. So I think you'll make better use of it." Smeargle waved its tail as if it wanted to show that it didn't need to have the TM.

"Thanks." Hahona accepted the gift. "I'll make a good use of it. I promise."

"It's all right." Judy smiled, "And I wish both of you a very good luck on your journey!"

* * *

After parting with the Gym Leader, the team went back to the Pokemon Center.

"So, where are you guys are going to go now?" Ash asked.

"Well, Ash. I was actually going to as…" Hahona tried to finish his sentence, but he was cut off.

"How about if you guys come with us?" Serena interrupted.

"Huh?" Hahona was shocked a little. He was going to ask the very same question.

"Yeah, come with us. We'll get along great." Ash suggested too.

"Wow," Hahona said at last. "It's just that…"

"We were going to ask you to come with us too." Hahana finished his sentence for him. They all laughed out loud.

"Excuse me, are you Ash Ketchum?" A mailman approached Ash. He was pushing a trolley full of boxes of parcels.

"Yes, I am."

"I have a package from your Mother." He lifted a box from his trolley. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Ash replied,

"You're welcome. I hope to serve you again!" The mailman took off with his trolley.

"What is it?" Serena asked.

"Let me see…" Ash opened the box. "Hey, it's my new clothes!" He looked through the package and called Serena. "Serena look! She even made one for you!"

"Really?" Serena dug into the box and smiled with joy. "I love it!"

"Right, let's pack up and meet here in five"

Five minutes later, they were all set for a new leg of their journey. Ash was now wearing a white and red cap with a metal grey Poke Ball logo on the left corner of the visor section. He had a black t-shirt and on top of that, a dark cobalt blue short-sleeved collared shirt with red outline and some red on parts of the shirt. He also wore a navy black trousers along with his usual belt. His running shoes and gloves stayed there.

Serena had her hair tied back in a half-up ponytail, using the blue ribbon in a firm knot. She was wearing a woollen scarlet beanie on her head. She also had a light yellow short-sleeved shirt and a white pair of short jeans. She kept her red sleeveless jacket and wore it. A pair of black socks and timberland boots finished her new look.

"You look gorgeous!" said Hahana.

"Thanks." Serena smiled and turned to Ash, who was busy with Pikachu. Then, she whispered "Do I really look good? Is it not bad?" to him and he nodded in agreement.

"Now, where shall we go?" Ash asked.

"Let's go to Zonda City," Hahana suggested. "There is a town along the way where a Pokemon Showcase takes place soon. You might get an idea of how things are run here."

"Sounds good to me" Serena replied. Ash nodded in agreement. Hahona smiled.

"Right then! Let's go!" They all took off to their next city.

* * *

 _Oh, my, gosh. I did make an error with the type matchup in the previous episode. I must thank you, Unknown Guest, for letting me know. I did check multiple times on Bublapedia for the type matchup before uploading, but yet, I've made another error by rushing things up… Whoops. Silly me. I'll try to be more careful next time. Again, thank you, Unknown Guest, for your correction. Really appreciate it. Maybe I have been away from being a competitive player for too long._

 _Someone messaged me about the motive behind Hahona and Hahana, our Aotea couple. Hahona and Hahana were based off from two of my closest friends. They are actually related as (very) far-off cousins, too, but Hahana doesn't really like that comment because she thinks that it puts her in the same league with Hahona, who does some stupid things from time to time. We used to hang out together and mainly, getting into trouble was us boys' thing and Hahana's job was getting us out of punishments. I will hold back from saying anything more about them for now. I will explain later when the time comes._

 _If you have any more questions, please, do not hesitate to ask me!_

 _Again, thank you very much for reading the story! I also appreciate the reviews! Thanks!_


	9. Buizel in Trouble!

"Hey, let's take a break here," Hahana suggested.

"Yeah, it is almost lunchtime too." Ash went off the route and placed his bag down on the grass. Everyone did the same and let out their Pokemons and stretched their bodies.

* * *

 _With the first gym out of their way, our heroes advance towards the next city, Zonda. Along the way, they decided to have lunch._

* * *

The gang were busy with preparing the table and meal while all of their Pokemons were playing. Some were doing some fancy moves, others were chasing each other. There was a river flowing down the slope and on the other end, the team was there.

"Pika!"/"Bii!" The two began to race each other. They were picking up speed. Pikachu was a little bit ahead when Grabbit attempted to jump. It collided into Pikachu and they began to roll downhill, tangled to each other.

They eventually fell into the water with a splash. The Pokemons fluttered to get rid of water on them. When they got onto the land again, Grabbit seemed to notice something.

"Pika?" It asked.

"Bii…" Grabbit just raised its ears into attention. Pikachu did the same, but it didn't hear anything out of the ordinary.

But then, they heard a faint sound.

"Buii…"

They ran down the bank, but they couldn't see anything.

"Buii…" They heard it again. This time, it was a bit more audible. They looked around to locate the source. Then, Pikachu saw an orange figure in the middle of the river. It was going up and down the surface, but Pikachu knew what it was.

"Pika! Pika-pi pika!" Pikachu suggested in a very urgent tone.

"Gra-biit!" Grabbit agreed.

They dashed towards their trainers at full speed.

Ash and friends, who were ready for lunch, they called all their Pokemons to eat. However, Pikachu and Grabbit was nowhere to be seen.

"Pikachu!" Ash called. "Lunch's ready!"

"Grabbit! It's time for lunch!" Hahona shouted.

"Just where could they have gone?" Serena asked.

"I don't know." Ash shrugged. "They should be around here."

"There they are!" Hahona jogged towards the two Pokemon.

"Pika-pii!" Pikachu called. Grabbit skipped to Hahona and jumped on top of him.

"Whoa. Grabbit, what's wrong?" Hahona brought Grabbit back on the ground.

"Pika! Pi! Pi!,"

"Gra-bii! Bii! Bii!"

"Looks like something is wrong!" Hahana said as she saw the look on their face. The boys nodded and gestured their Pokemon to go ahead.

"Pika! Pi pikachu!" Pikachu and Grabbit dashed on ahead while the rest of them followed.

Grabbit stopped as soon as it had a glimpse of the object. Ash, Serena, Hahona and Hahana all gasped. There was a Buizel in the river. However, things weren't normal. It was appearing and disappearing from the surface as if it was drowning. Without wasting a single moment, Hahona and Ash jumped in one after another. They both swam quickly to Buuizel, who was losing its strength every second.

"Buii…" Just as it finished its last cry for help, it disappeared into the river. Just then, it emerged again with Hahona and Ash.

"Hold on," said Hahona, "We've got ya."

"Let's get Buuizel to the river bank," Ash suggested. Hahona nodded back.

* * *

Meanwhile, three travellers in white uniforms were looking around relentlessly. Two of them had Poke Balls in their hand and one sort one had a small handheld device in his hand.

"Oi, oi, Meowth." Said the man. "Is there anything around here?"

"We really need to catch Pokemons now." The woman added.

"I'm not picking up anything." The talking Meowth answered in a squeal.

"Aaargh!" Jessie roared, "Why?! Just why aren't we getting any Pokemon?"

"Calm down, Jessie," said James, "we will find one soon."

"We've been walking for days now!"

"We'll find one eventually."

"Ha!" Jessie scoffed, "Yeah! We will find one eventually!" She shouted sarcastically. Right then, bushes on their left side rustled.

"Huh?" Meowth looked at his beeping screen. "I'm getting something on radar now…" Then something jumped on top of them.

"Aaaaaaargh!" They all became startled by it and screamed and jumped. When the trio had gotten their senses together, they saw a Zigzagoon in front of them.

"Hah…" They all sighed in relief. "I thought there was a scary Pokemon or something else here…" said James,

"Hey, we should catch it," Jessie suggested.

"You're right, let me get my Poke Ball…"

"Guys…" Meowth cried while trying to hide the pain it was feeling. However, the patience didn't last long. "You, guys, are, STEPPING ON MY TAIL!" It raged and shouted so loud that the ground shook.

The Zigzagoon got startled and ran into the bushes again.

"Sorry, Meowth…" Jessie said apologetically. "It wasn't intentional..."

"Well, now that I've scared it off, guess we'll have to look for another Pokemon now…" The trio sighed again.

* * *

"So, how does he look?" Serena asked. Buizel was rescued by the boys and it managed to get on the riverbank. They then left the Pokemon with the girls and ran off to the table to clear up for the inevitable journey to a nearby Pokemon Center.

"Not too good…" Hahana said after examining Buizel. It was weak and shivering all over but most strangely enough, its floatation sac was flat. And worst of all, it was whining in pain. She gave him a Pecha Berry, but Buizel wouldn't accept it for it could not swallow anything. "He can't even eat a Pecha Berry."

"He doesn't sound good too. He must be in pain." Serena added.

"He needs to get to a Pokemon Center immediately. Let's get ready to leave." Hahana didn't need to say that as Ash and Hahana were already onto the job. They were folding the table away and putting cutleries back into the bag.

"Serena, where is the nearest Pokemon Center?" Hahana asked.

"It's going to take at least a few hours," Serena said while she was looking into her device. Because of that, Hahana didn't understand what she was saying.

"Sorry, I didn't catch you. Can you say it again?" Hahana asked.

Serena looked up. "Pokemon Center is a few hours away."

"Oh, my," Hahana said worryingly. She wasn't sure whether if Buizel could make the two hours or more journey to the Pokemon Center.

"Serena! Tell Hahana that we're all packed now!" Hahona yelled from the top of the hill.

"They've finished packing up." Serena relayed it to her.

"Come here, you guys!" Hahana beckoned them to come and when Hahona came, she asked him to piggyback Buizel. Hahona did so and Ash carried both his and Hahona's bag. Then, they returned all their Pokemon and hurried off towards the Pokemon Center.

They walked for a while but Buizel's condition was deteriorating by minutes. It was gasping for breath now. When Serena noticed it, she stopped the convoy and they all huddled around Buizel.

"It looks very tired, too," Hahona observed.

"How far are we from the Pokemon Center?"

"We need to walk for another hour or so. But it'll only take 20 minutes by car…" Serena sighed.

"We haven't seen a single car around here." Hahona sighed, then he heard a slight rumbling sound. He was confident that it was a car. Hahona dashed out to hail it to stop. After a minute, a black hatchback approached from the corner. He waved his hand and the car stopped in front of him and the window was reeled open. A man with brown trench coat was at the wheel. His nose was so enormous that his glasses looked too small for him. He said calmly in a low voice, "Is there a problem?"

"We have a sick Pokemon here! He needs to get to a Pokemon Center right away!" Ash desperately told him. The man looked surprised for a bit to see him. Then, he removed his glasses and along with it, the big nose was taken off too. He was the handsome agent from the International Police.

"Mr Looker?!" Ash yelled in surprise.

"We have no time. All of you, get in!"

* * *

The three rocketeers slouched along the trees. Just going somewhere without any destination.

"So, any more Pokemon yet?" Jessie asked,

"No, there aren't," Meowth replied in a disappointment. Then, he looked into his device again. Still, there only was a series of rhythmic beeps.

"Hey, I think there's a town nearby," James remembered,

"So what?" Jessie asked,

"This town has a Pokemon Center, and that means Pokemon to steal!" James elaborated.

"That's actually is not too bad of an idea." The three all smiled and jogged off to the east.

* * *

At the Pokemon Center, Buizel was being treated at the operation theatre, where Nurse Joy with Audino was working hard to heal it. Ash and his friends were waiting outside at a table along with Looker. Pikachu and Grabbit were walking around relentlessly, while Amaura stood by Hahana's side.

"Will Buizel be alright?" Serena said worryingly,

"Yeah, he will be. I'm sure." Looker replied. "Nurse Joy is the best of the best in this business."

"So, it's called Buizel, right?" Hahona took his Pokedex out and searched the Pokemon.

"Buizel, Sea Weasel Pokemon, Water Type. Its sac around its neck acts as an air tank, keeping it afloat and stay underwater for a long time."

"So, Ash," Hahana asked, "who is he?" Looker immediately noticed and stood up.

"Oh, I am terribly sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I am..." Looker tried to introduce himself, but a buzzer interrupted him. The agent stood up and dashed towards the operation theatre. The team followed him. There, Officer Jenny was there with Nurse Joy, holding a pouch. It contained a little metallic object.

"How's Buizel?" Ash asked,

"He's just out of critical state and recovering fast." The Nurse replied, "at this rate, he'll be able to recover in about a day."

"Thank God!" Hahana sighed, "Thank you very much, Nurse Joy!" The nurse smiled back. Then, Officer Jenny stepped forward.

"So, did you find the Buizel?" The officer asked.

"These little guys did," Hahana pointed their partners, " and Ash and I pulled him out. Is there any problems, Officer Jenny?"

"Well, then you guys will have to follow me. I have a question for you."

"Is it regarding Buizel and the contents of the bag?" Looker stepped in, his eyes fixed onto the bag.

"It is out of your concern. I need to speak with them. Please, come with me." The officer turned around and began to walk.

Then, in a firm manner, Looker spoke out. "I may be an aid for you." Officer Jenny turned around and saw Looker holding out his badge. "Special Agent for the International Police; codenamed Looker." Everyone, except for Ash, seemed to be surprised at the mention of the word, Agent. "I'd like all of us to go to a secure place to discuss this matter."

"Of course, Agent." The officer nodded and led them out.

* * *

From the hill overlooking the town, three shady beings hid behind a bush with binoculars. They were spying the Pokemon Center for any goodies. Meowth was looking at binocular while Jessie and James waited alongside it.

"Wait! Someone's coming out of the building!"

"Who is it? Gimmie that!" Jessie took the binocular from Meowth and saw a group of people walking towards a police car and a hatchback. "It's the twerp, the officer and that agent from the International Police!" She passed the scope to James.

"We wouldn't be able to get that Pikachu now, too many eyes watching," James observed,

"You're right. Guess we're out of luck today." Jessie crouched and looked back. There was a Pokemon right in front of her, just walking about. It was not too big, but it did look intimidating with its red eyes. It was a Bird Pokemon, with brown feathers and sharp talons.

"Ghaaaa! What is that?!" She kicked the Pokemon out of her way. That made it angry and it began to flap its wings and soared into the sky. Then, the Pokemon charged towards the trio. "James! Do something!" James threw a Poke Ball at

James looked around and took out a Poke Ball from his pocket, then threw it at the Pokemon. It went right in.

"Why did you throw a Poke Ball at him?" Looking for a sane explanation, Meowth asked.

"He's going to be stuck there for a while and that's going to give us a chance to run!" James explained in a proud manner.

"Hmm... Sounds right," Meowth nodded in agreement. However, Jessie wasn't too thrilled about the idea.

"You've just wasted our only Poke Ball now! Now, what are we going to do?" Just then, with a chime, the Poke Ball stopped wiggling about.

Then, there was a minute of silence. A very awkward one, too.

"I CAUGHT IT!"/"HE CAUGHT THAT?!"

* * *

In the Police Station, they gathered up inside a clean white room. There was a table in the middle and equipment and computers were displayed along the wall, ready for use at any time. The plastic pouch was on top of the desk, and everyone huddled around it.

"So, what's in the bag?" Ash asked,

"I don't know. It's some kind of projectile, but it's unclear at the moment. It was found inside Buizel's floatation sac." The officer replied. "How was Buizel when you found him?"

"It was drowning, tired and out of strength." Hahona remembered, "It's floatation sac looked very different from the Pokedex. It really looked slack like a punctured tyre."

"Then it matches up with recent incidents." "Pokemon in this area have been spotted with their body parts not functioning like they are supposed to be. Also, in every single case, we found this object."

"May I take a closer look at it?" The agent pulled out a pair of latex gloves from a box behind him. "I'd like to confirm something."

"Sure, please do. I need every piece of help. Feel free to use all the equipment here." Looker took the contents out of the bag and placed the metallic object under a microscope and examined it thoroughly. Then, he took a good look at the display and placed the piece of metal into a machine. It whirred on immediately. Then, he removed his glove and threw it away.

"This confirms the suspicion," Looker announced,

"What is it about?" Serena asked,

"We have received information about an organisation running in Aotea Region. All we know is that they are responsible for strange incidents regarding the Pokemon in Te Ika."

"Do you know any names?" The officer asked,

"Unfortunately, not at this time. However, we now have more information." He turned on the display and a magnified image of the object appeared on the screen. "This object in question has small pores on the cylindrical part. The front part is conical for penetration and a scan reveals a chamber for liquids, possibly poison. This thing here is a poison needle." He tapped on the keyboard to show a different view of the bullet. "On the bottom of it, there is a marking. Look" On the bottom of the bullet, there was a circle and a faint marking engraved onto the metal.

"Does it mean anything?" Hahana asked,

"That's what we'll have to find," Looker answered, then, he turned to Officer Jenny. "Officer Jenny, please escort these kids back to the Pokemon Center." The officer nodded back.

"Are we done here?" Hahona asked rather disappointingly.

"I'm sorry, but for now, I need to gather some more information and send this to the HQ. It's going to take a while. Go take a look at Buizel. It must have recoveredby some extent now."

* * *

Back at the Pokemon Center, Buizel woke up from the ward. Medical Monitors beeped along Buizel's every move. It sat up and looked around. There were other Pokemons in other beds. Most looked unconscious or just barely awake.

Buizel checked its condition. Its floatation sac was working normally, most of its strengths are back and the pain was gone. All it had in its mind was getting out of there. It jumped out of the bed, ripping off the sensors of the monitor. The monitor gave a flat tone, but Buizel didn't care. All it cared about was getting out of the ward. Buizel looked around. The only exit out of the ward was a cloudy glass sliding door, tightly sealed and shut. However, Buizel could sniff some fresh air flowing in from elsewhere. Tracing the scent, it reached a ventilator grill.

Right then, Nurse Joy hurried into the ward, for the flat tone from the monitor had alerted her. It gave a glance at her and without hesitation, it used Sonic Boom and the grill broke open. Buizel then went in before Nurse Joy could stop it.

* * *

"So, what should we do now?" Hahona asked on the way back to the Pokemon Center in a police car.

"We do what we do," Ash replied. "Mr Looker is very professional at his job. He'll handle it."

"Is there anything that we can do?" Hahana asked.

"For now, forget about it." Officer Jenny replied while driving, "We'll handle it from here." Hahana gave a quick look of misunderstanding to Hahona, who signed her and she understood.

When they got to the Pokemon Center, Officer Jenny dropped them off and drove away. As they went through the door, they heard a clanging noise. They looked at the ceiling and a ventilation grill was missing. The missing grill was soon found on the floor, along with the Buizel. It dashed out as everyone just watched.

"Buizel! Stop!" Nurse Joy dashed out with Audino. "Come back!" However, Buizel was already on its way.

"Will Buizel be alright?" Hahona asked,

"He recovered most of the way, but still needs a bit more rest."

"If we see him along the way, we'll tell you," Hahana called out.

"Will you?" "Please contact me if you see him. He should be alright, but I'm just worried."

"Count on us!"

They took a moment at the Pokemon Center to get ready for their next leg of the journey. Then, they walked out of the door.

"So, everyone ready?" Hahana asked,

"Yeah. Let's go!" Ash and Serena exclaimed,

"And find that Buizel along the way!" Hahona yelled into the sky and they all jogged off. What they didn't notice was that something was watching them from the bushes in front of them.

* * *

 _Finally, I am confident with this chapter above. Thank you for reading it and I will come back to you with another one soon. I may be irregular with uploads, but I am using every spare moment writing this work._

 _Any questions or errors? Please comment in review section or message me! Thanks!_


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